Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 10.0 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 Cameroon, that number is 3.0% of people as of 2020.

live 3.8 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 Cameroon, that number is 63 years (61 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 73.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Cameroon, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.

be 32.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Cameroon, however, that number is 37.5% as of 2014.

Life

have 30.0% more children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cameroon, there are 34.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 3.0 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 Cameroon, 438.0 women do as of 2020.

be 18.7% less likely to be literate

In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 77.1% as of 2018.

Basic Needs

be 16.6% 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 Cameroon, that number is 65% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 20.2% 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 Cameroon, that number is 79% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 36.0% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Cameroon spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 22.4% less on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 4.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Cameroon, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 92.3% more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.

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

Cameroon: At a glance

Cameroon is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 472,710 sq km. French Cameroon became independent in 1960 as the Republic of Cameroon. The following year the southern portion of neighboring British Cameroon voted to merge with the new country to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. In 1972, a new constitution replaced the federation with a unitary state, the United Republic of Cameroon. The country has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of President Paul BIYA.
Read more

How big is Cameroon compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Cameroon.or Sao Tome and Principe It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.