Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 22.6% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Benin, that number is 9.6% of people as of 2016.
live 4.9 years less
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022. In Benin, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 89.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Benin, that number is 1.5% as of 2022.
be 30.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Benin, however, that number is 38.5% as of 2019.
Life
have 50.9% more children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 40.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.6 times more 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 Benin, 523.0 women do as of 2020.
be 51.7% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Benin, it is 45.8% as of 2021.
be 25.6% more 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 Benin, on the other hand, 55.8 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 46.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of people have electricity access (80% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Benin, that number is 42% of people on average (67% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2021.
be 33.3% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2021.
be 24.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 98% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 75% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 40.0% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Benin spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 46.9% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 4.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 2.6% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 42.1% less coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.