Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 15.9 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 South Korea, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
be 62.1% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 9.2 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $5,500 as of 2023, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $50,600 as of 2023.
be 81.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.
be 74.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
Life
be 94.5% 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 South Korea, 8.0 women do as of 2020.
be 93.5% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.9 children do as of 2022.
have 74.1% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
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 South Korea, 100% of the population do as of 2022.
be 92.2% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In South Korea, about 98.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 71.4% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 4.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 11.5 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.