Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
live 15.9 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 89.1% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $5,500 as of 2023.
be 5.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 14.2% as of 2023.
be 3.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
Life
have 3.9 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, there are 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 18.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sao Tome and Principe, 146.0 women do as of 2020.
be 15.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 44.4 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 22.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Korea, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, 78% of the population do as of 2022.
be 48.0% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 51.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 41.7% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 4.9% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 91.3% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.