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

Health

live 7.6 years longer

In Nauru, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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.

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be 74.9% less likely to be obese

In Nauru, 71.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.

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see 85.7% less spent on your healthcare

Nauru spends $2,474 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.

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Economy

make 72.1% less money

Nauru has a GDP per capita of $14,640 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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Life

be 72.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Nauru, approximately 273.0 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.

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have 14.4% more children

In Nauru, there are approximately 24.6 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.

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be 19.5% more likely to die during infancy

In Nauru, approximately 7.7 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.

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Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Nauru, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.

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be 28.8% less likely to have internet access

In Nauru, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

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be 20.3% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Nauru, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, 78% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 13.0% less on education

Nauru spends 5.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 68.3% less on healthcare

Nauru spends 18.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 7.0 times more coastline

Nauru has a total of 30 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

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Safety

be 46.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Nauru, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 70.0% less home broadband

Nauru has 10.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance

Sao Tome and Principe is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 964 sq km. Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with African plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA. The new government of Prime Minister Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira DA COSTA is entirely composed of opposition party members with limited experience in governance. New oil discoveries in the Gulf of Guinea may attract increased attention to the small island nation.
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