Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
be 93.9% less likely to die by suicide
Switzerland has a suicide rate of 14.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 14.5 years less
In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 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.
be 58.7% more likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 96.7% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 89.6% fewer doctors per person
Switzerland has 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 31.4% less access to essential health services
Switzerland scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 87.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Switzerland, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 96.4% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Switzerland, there are approximately 8.7 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.
be 15.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, 75.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Switzerland, approximately 3.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Switzerland, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 39.3% less likely to have internet access
In Switzerland, approximately 97.3% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Switzerland, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 50.6% less on healthcare
Switzerland spends 11.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 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 71.1% less strain on fresh water
Switzerland withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 93.6% less home broadband
Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 83.2% less CO2
Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 8.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Switzerland vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.