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

Health

live 13.3 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 Israel, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 11.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Israel spends $4,033 as of 2023.

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have 8.2 times more doctors per person

Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Israel has 38.0 as of 2023.

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have 44.1% more access to essential health services

Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Israel scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 24.1% more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Israel, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 5.1 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 Israel, it is 4.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 61.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Israel, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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be 60.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Israel, however, that number is 22.0% as of 2014.

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make 14.8 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Israel, the GDP per capita is $60,337 as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.3% 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 Israel, 2.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 70.7% less 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 Israel, on the other hand, 2.7 children do as of 2024.

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have 33.8% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Israel, there are 18.6 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 Israel, 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 49.2% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Israel, about 88.2% do as of 2024.

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be 28.3% 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 Israel, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 17.9% more on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Israel spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 23.1% more on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Israel, that number is 7.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 30.6% more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Israel, that number is 273 km.

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Safety

be 64.1% less 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 Israel, they kill 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 9.8 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Israel has 29.2 as of 2024.

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live with 70.2 times more strain on fresh water

Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Israel withdraws 132% as of 2021.

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Environment

be 82.4% 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 Israel, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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emit 9.2 times more CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Israel emits 5.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2014), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Israel: At a glance

Israel is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 21,497 sq km. Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN proposed partitioning the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Nonetheless, an Israeli state was declared in 1948 and the Israelis subsequently defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. (The territories Israel occupied since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted.) On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords"), enshrining the idea of a two-state solution to their conflict and guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. Progress toward a permanent status agreement with the Palestinians was undermined by Israeli-Palestinian violence between 2001 and February 2005. Israel in 2005 unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating settlers and its military while retaining control over most points of entry into the Gaza Strip. The election of HAMAS to head the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006 froze relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). In 2006 Israel engaged in a 34-day conflict with Hizballah in Lebanon in June-August 2006 and a 23-day conflict with HAMAS in the Gaza Strip during December 2008 and January 2009. Direct talks with the Palestinians launched in September 2010 collapsed following the expiration of Israel's 10-month partial settlement construction moratorium in the West Bank. In November 2012, Israel engaged in a seven-day conflict with HAMAS in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU formed a coalition government in March 2013 following general elections in January 2013. Direct talks with the Palestinians resumed in July 2013 and but were suspended in late April 2014.
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