Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Tuvalu, you would:
Health
live 2.6 years longer
In Tuvalu, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 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 72.5% less likely to be obese
In Tuvalu, 65.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
have 13.5% more access to essential health services
Tuvalu scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
see 78.8% less spent on your healthcare
Tuvalu spends $1,671 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 65.5% fewer doctors per person
Tuvalu has 13.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
Economy
make 32.4% less money
Tuvalu has a GDP per capita of $6,041 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 55.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Tuvalu, approximately 170.0 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 44.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Tuvalu, approximately 16.5 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 27.9% more children
In Tuvalu, there are approximately 22.0 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 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Tuvalu, 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 27.2% less likely to have internet access
In Tuvalu, approximately 81.2% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 21.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Tuvalu, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (98% 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 60.9% less on education
Tuvalu spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 78.7% less on healthcare
Tuvalu spends 27.1% 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 8.7 times more coastline
Tuvalu has a total of 24 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 34.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Tuvalu, road accidents kill 17.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 33.8% less home broadband
Tuvalu has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Tuvalu vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Tuvalu? See an in-depth size comparison.