Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
live 2.0 years longer
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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.
have 13.5% more access to essential health services
Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 75.8% less likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.0 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 23.0% less spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 38.3% fewer doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
Economy
make 3.0 times more money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 5.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 32.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Timor-Leste, 41.8% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
Life
be 60.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 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 36.6% more likely to be literate
In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 73.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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 29.0% more children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 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 45.1% more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Timor-Leste, 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 10.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 82% 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 39.9% less on healthcare
Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 70.4% less coastline
Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Infrastructure
find 299.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 93.3% less strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 39.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
emit 26.0% more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2014–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.