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

Health

live 4.7 years longer

In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Azerbaijan, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Azerbaijan spends $993 as of 2023.

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have 6.9 times more doctors per person

Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Azerbaijan has 31.9 as of 2022.

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have 11.9% more access to essential health services

Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Azerbaijan scores 66 as of 2021.

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be 53.7% more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Azerbaijan, that number is 27.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 81.4% more likely to die by suicide

Sao Tome and Principe has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Azerbaijan, it is 1.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 40.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Azerbaijan, that number is 5.5% as of 2025.

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be 91.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Azerbaijan, however, that number is 4.9% as of 2015.

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make 81.4% more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Azerbaijan, the GDP per capita is $7,411 as of 2025.

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Life

be 76.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 75.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Azerbaijan, 18.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 35.9% more likely to die during infancy

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 9.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Azerbaijan, on the other hand, 12.5 children do as of 2024.

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have 64.4% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Azerbaijan, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 23.0% more likely to have access to electricity

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 81% of people have electricity access (82% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Azerbaijan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 53.6% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Azerbaijan, about 90.8% do as of 2025.

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be 25.3% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water (79% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Azerbaijan, that number is 98% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 27.2% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Azerbaijan spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 26.0% less on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Azerbaijan, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 47.0% more likely to die in a road accident

In Sao Tome and Principe, road accidents kill 11.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Azerbaijan, they kill 17.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 7.3 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Azerbaijan has 21.8 as of 2024.

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live with 30.6 times more strain on fresh water

Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Azerbaijan withdraws 58% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 34.1% more likely to die from air pollution

In Sao Tome and Principe, air pollution causes 85.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Azerbaijan, it causes 114.0 as of 2019.

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emit 6.0 times more CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Azerbaijan emits 3.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2015). How we calculate this

Azerbaijan: At a glance

Azerbaijan is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 82,629 sq km. Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and majority-Shia Muslim population - was briefly independent (from 1918 to 1920) following the collapse of the Russian Empire; it was subsequently incorporated into the Soviet Union for seven decades. Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region that Moscow recognized in 1923 as an autonomous republic within Soviet Azerbaijan after Armenia and Azerbaijan disputed the territory's status. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also seven surrounding provinces in the territory of Azerbaijan. The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by the United States, France, and Russia, is the framework established to mediate a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Corruption in the country is widespread, and the government, which eliminated presidential term limits in a 2009 referendum, has been accused of authoritarianism. Although the poverty rate has been reduced and infrastructure investment has increased substantially in recent years due to revenue from oil and gas production, reforms have not adequately addressed weaknesses in most government institutions, particularly in the education and health sectors.
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