Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Djibouti instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 35.0% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 11.7% of people as of 2024.
live 3.7 years less
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 56.3% less spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Djibouti spends $155 as of 2023.
have 54.5% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Djibouti has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 25.4% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Djibouti scores 44 as of 2021.
be 9.3 times 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 Djibouti, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 62.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Djibouti, however, that number is 21.1% as of 2017.
be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Djibouti, that number is 26.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 2.2 times more 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 Djibouti, 162.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.7 times 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 Djibouti, on the other hand, 43.0 children do as of 2024.
have 25.5% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Djibouti, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 10.5% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Djibouti, about 65.3% do as of 2024.
be 19.8% less 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 Djibouti, that number is 65% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 60.5% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 2.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 50.2% more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Djibouti, that number is 314 km.
Safety
be 99.1% 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 Djibouti, they kill 23.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 50.8% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Djibouti has 1.5 as of 2023.
live with 3.4 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Djibouti withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 30.6% less 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 Djibouti, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.2% more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Djibouti emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Djibouti
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Djibouti: At a glance
How big is Djibouti compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.