Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
be 20.6% less likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 2.8 times more doctors per person
Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 25.5% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 94.5% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.7 years less
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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.
Economy
be 80.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 3.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
Life
be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Vanuatu, approximately 100.0 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 36.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 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 32.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Vanuatu, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (88% in urban areas, and 54% 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 15.4% less likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 10.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Vanuatu, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 84% 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 34.2% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 40.0% more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% 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 91.7% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Infrastructure
find 2.6 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 27.6% less CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 49.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.