Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 11.5 years longer

In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022. In Barbados, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sao Tome and Principe, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

be 86.3% more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Barbados, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.2 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $5,500 as of 2023, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

be 44.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 8.0% as of 2023.

Life

be 73.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 146.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 78.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 44.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Barbados, on the other hand, 9.6 children do as of 2020.

have 59.9% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 28.2% more likely to have access to electricity

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Barbados, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 68.6% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 30.0% more on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Barbados spends 6.5% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 46.9% more on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 4.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 53.6% less coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.

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

Barbados: At a glance

Barbados is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 430 sq km. The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. African slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
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How big is Barbados compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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