Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kiribati instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
see 12.9% more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.
live 3.3 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 Kiribati, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.
have 18.6% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.
be 20.3 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 Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 37.4% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.2 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 Kiribati, on the other hand, 38.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.0% 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 Kiribati, that number is 96% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 51.3% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kiribati, about 89.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.3 times more on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 89.8% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.5 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.
Safety
be 47.0% 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 Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be murdered
Sao Tome and Principe has a homicide rate of 3.2 per 100,000 people as of 2011. In Kiribati, that number is 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2012.
Infrastructure
find 99.0% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 42.4% 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 Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Kiribati
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Kiribati: At a glance
How big is Kiribati compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.