Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.9 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 Senegal, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2022.

be 29.0% less likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Senegal, that number is 8.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 79.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Senegal, that number is 3.0% as of 2022.

be 15.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Senegal, however, that number is 46.7% as of 2011.

Life

be 26.9% 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 Senegal, on the other hand, 32.4 children do as of 2022.

have 13.1% more children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Senegal, there are 30.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 78.8% 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 Senegal, 261.0 women do as of 2020.

be 40.6% less likely to be literate

In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 56.3% as of 2021.

Basic Needs

be 13.7% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Senegal, about 58.0% do as of 2021.

be 13.4% 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 Senegal, that number is 68% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 43% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 11.4% 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 Senegal, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 10.0% more on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Senegal spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.5 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Senegal, that number is 531 km.

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

Senegal: At a glance

Senegal is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 192,530 sq km. The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
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How big is Senegal compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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