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

Health

live 7.2 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 Cook Islands, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022.

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have 2.9 times more doctors per person

Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cook Islands has 13.4 as of 2019.

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be 4.0 times more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cook Islands, that number is 72.4% of people as of 2024.

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have 22.0% less access to essential health services

Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cook Islands scores 46 as of 2021.

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Life

be 73.2% 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 Cook Islands, on the other hand, 15.9 children do as of 2022.

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have 56.9% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cook Islands, there are 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 44.5% less on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cook Islands, that number is 3.2% of GDP as of 2020.

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Geography

see 42.6% less coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Cook Islands, that number is 120 km.

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Safety

be 50.4% 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 Cook Islands, they kill 17.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 6.1 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cook Islands has 18.2 as of 2022.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2024), The World Factbook (2020–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Cook Islands: At a glance

Cook Islands is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 236 sq km. Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965, residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems.
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How big is Cook Islands compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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