If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Uganda, you would:

Health

live 1.4 years longer

In Uganda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 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.

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see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Uganda spends $139 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.

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have 2.4 times more doctors per person

Uganda has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.

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have 20.4% more access to essential health services

Uganda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.

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be 84.4% less likely to die by suicide

Uganda has a suicide rate of 5.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 89.2% more likely to be obese

In Uganda, 9.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 3.4 times more money

Uganda has a GDP per capita of $1,206 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Uganda, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.

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Life

be 55.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Uganda, 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.

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be 23.1% more likely to be literate

In Uganda, the literacy rate is 77.0% as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.

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be 74.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Uganda, approximately 35.9 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.

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have 18.4% fewer children

In Uganda, there are approximately 34.4 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.

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Basic Needs

be 57.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Uganda, approximately 52% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 42% 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.

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be 6.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Uganda, approximately 8.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

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be 23.7% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Uganda, approximately 63% of people have access to drinking water (80% in urban areas, and 57% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 96.5% more on education

Uganda spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 36.1% more on healthcare

Uganda spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 26.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Uganda, road accidents kill 16.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 14.2 times more home broadband

Uganda has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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live with 67.8% less strain on fresh water

Uganda withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 41.7% more likely to die from air pollution

In Uganda, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.7 times more CO2

Uganda emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance

Sao Tome and Principe is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 964 sq km. Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with African plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA. The new government of Prime Minister Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira DA COSTA is entirely composed of opposition party members with limited experience in governance. New oil discoveries in the Gulf of Guinea may attract increased attention to the small island nation.
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How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Uganda? See an in-depth size comparison.

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