Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.0 years less

In New Caledonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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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Economy

be 18.3% less likely to be unemployed

In New Caledonia, 11.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.

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make 86.0% less money

New Caledonia has a GDP per capita of $29,213 as of 2024, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.0 times more children

In New Caledonia, there are approximately 14.0 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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Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In New Caledonia, 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 27.9% less likely to have internet access

In New Caledonia, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

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be 21.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In New Caledonia, approximately 100% 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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Geography

see 90.7% less coastline

New Caledonia has a total of 2,254 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

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Infrastructure

find 84.6% less home broadband

New Caledonia has 19.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 96.3% less CO2

New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: New Caledonia vs. Sao Tome and Principe

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sao Tome and Principe is 50.3% cheaper than New Caledonia overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
New Caledonia is about 19 times bigger than Sao Tome and Principe.
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Moving from New Caledonia to Sao Tome and Principe · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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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How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to New Caledonia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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