Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 34.7% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Zambia, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2016.
be 37.0 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 Zambia, that number is 11.1% of people as of 2020.
live 0.8 years less
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022. In Zambia, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 58.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2023.
make 32.7% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $5,500 as of 2023, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $3,700 as of 2023.
Life
be 16.4% 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 Zambia, on the other hand, 37.1 children do as of 2022.
have 27.7% more children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 34.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 38.7% 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 2022. In Zambia, that number is 48% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 58.8% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Zambia, about 21.0% do as of 2021.
be 27.3% 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 Zambia, that number is 72% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 26.0% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Zambia spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 14.3% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 4.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Zambia, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.