Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of British Virgin Islands, you would:

Health

live 12.6 years less

In British Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 90.1% less money

British Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $34,200 as of 2017, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $3,400 as of 2022.

be 4.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In British Virgin Islands, 2.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2015. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 14.3% as of 2022.

Life

have 2.4 times more children

In British Virgin Islands, there are approximately 10.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, there are 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In British Virgin Islands, approximately 14.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 44.4 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 21.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In British Virgin Islands, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, 78% of the population do as of 2021.

be 34.4% less likely to have internet access

In British Virgin Islands, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 92.3% more on education

British Virgin Islands spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.6 times more coastline

British Virgin Islands has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 British Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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