Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 35.5% less likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2016.

be 24.3 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 7.3% of people as of 2020.

live 3.4 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 64 years (61 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 3.1 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $5,500 as of 2023, while in Equatorial Guinea, the GDP per capita is $16,900 as of 2023.

be 39.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.7% as of 2023.

be 20.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Equatorial Guinea, however, that number is 44.0% as of 2011.

Life

have 12.2% more children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 45.2% 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 Equatorial Guinea, 212.0 women do as of 2020.

be 76.5% 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 Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 78.3 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 14.1% 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 2022. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 31.4% 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 68% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 32% in rural areas) as of 2017.

Expenditures

spend 22.4% less on healthcare

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

Geography

see 41.6% more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 296 km.

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

Equatorial Guinea: At a glance

Equatorial Guinea is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 28,051 sq km. Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro Obiang NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996, 2002, and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999, 2004, 2008, and 2013 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, improvements in the population's living standards have been slow to develop.
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How big is Equatorial Guinea compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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