Social conditions
São Tomé and Príncipe have one of the world’s lowest per capita GDP and half the population lives in poverty (under US $ 2 per day). Visit AbbreviationFinder to see the definitions of STP and acronym for Sao Tome and Principe. However, most have access to clean water and health care is comparatively well developed; there are 32 hospital beds and five doctors per 10,000 residents. Qualified personnel are available at just over 80 percent of deliveries. In 2009, 13 percent of government spending on health care was spent. Common causes of death are lung disease, malaria, and cardiovascular disease. Nearly a child of twenty dies during their first year of life. The country is lacking in international statistics on the incidence of HIV/AIDS, but according to estimates, 1-4 percent of the population is infected.
Violence against women is prohibited, even in the home, but is still common. Almost half of the women are professionals. On the other hand, the proportion of girls is as high as that of boys in school. Of the country’s MPs, 18 percent are women.