Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.3 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 Ghana, that number is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.

be 12.1% less likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ghana, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2016.

be 5.7 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 Ghana, that number is 1.7% of people as of 2020.

Economy

make 61.8% more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $3,400 as of 2022, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $5,500 as of 2022.

be 75.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Ghana, that number is 3.5% as of 2022.

be 57.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Ghana, however, that number is 23.4% as of 2016.

Life

be 26.6% 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 Ghana, on the other hand, 32.6 children do as of 2022.

be 80.1% 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 Ghana, 263.0 women do as of 2020.

be 16.7% less likely to be literate

In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 79.0% as of 2018.

Basic Needs

be 10.1% more 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 Ghana, that number is 86% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 33.3% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Ghana, about 68.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 22.0% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Ghana spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 18.4% less on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 4.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.6 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.

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

Ghana: At a glance

Ghana is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 227,533 sq km. Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996 but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. John Atta MILLS won the 2008 presidential election and took over as head of state, but he died in July 2012 and was constitutionally succeeded by his vice president John Dramani MAHAMA, who subsequently won the December 2012 presidential election.
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How big is Ghana compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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