Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Djibouti, you would:
Health
live 3.7 years longer
In Djibouti, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Djibouti spends $155 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
Djibouti has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 34.1% more access to essential health services
Djibouti scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 89.2% less likely to die by suicide
Djibouti has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 53.8% more likely to be obese
In Djibouti, 11.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 64.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Djibouti, 26.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Djibouti, 21.1% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
Life
be 53.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Djibouti, approximately 162.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, 75.0 women do as of 2023.
be 78.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Djibouti, approximately 43.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 9.2 children do as of 2024.
have 34.2% more children
In Djibouti, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Djibouti, approximately 65% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 81% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Djibouti spends 2.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 33.4% less coastline
Djibouti has a total of 314 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 49.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Djibouti, road accidents kill 23.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.0 times more home broadband
Djibouti has 1.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 70.3% less strain on fresh water
Djibouti withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 18.2% less CO2
Djibouti emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 44.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Djibouti, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Djibouti vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Djibouti? See an in-depth size comparison.