Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 14.4 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 Portugal, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 67.7% more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Portugal, that number is 20.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 7.6 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $5,500 as of 2023, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $41,700 as of 2023.

be 54.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 6.5% as of 2023.

be 70.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.

Life

be 91.8% 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 Portugal, 12.0 women do as of 2020.

be 94.4% 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 Portugal, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 69.7% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

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 Portugal, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 60.8% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Portugal, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 2.2 times more on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 4.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Portugal, that number is 10.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 8.6 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.

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

Portugal: At a glance

Portugal is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 91,470 sq km. Following its heyday as a global maritime power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of Brazil, its wealthiest colony, in 1822. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
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How big is Portugal compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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