Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
be 41.8% less likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 96.1% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.9 years less
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 68.9% less spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 65.8% fewer doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
Economy
be 16.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 42.2% less money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 37.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Suriname, approximately 14.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 9.2 children do as of 2024.
have 63.8% more children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Suriname, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 81% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 32.4% less likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 20.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Suriname, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 78% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.3% more on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 45.9% less coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 27.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 52.4% less strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 84.1% less home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 84.5% less CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.