Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 15.5 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 Spain, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 91.9% more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Spain, that number is 23.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 11.8 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $3,400 as of 2022, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $40,200 as of 2022.

be 63.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Spain, however, that number is 20.4% as of 2021.

Life

be 97.9% 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 Spain, 3.0 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 73.4% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 27.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Spain, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

be 84.3% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Spain, about 94.0% 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 Spain, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 23.8 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

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

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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