Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nauru instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
see 7.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nauru spends $2,474 as of 2023.
live 7.6 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 Nauru, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 71.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.6 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Nauru, the GDP per capita is $14,640 as of 2025.
Life
be 16.3% 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 Nauru, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
be 3.6 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 Nauru, 273.0 women do as of 2023.
have 12.6% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nauru, there are 24.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Nauru, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 40.4% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nauru, about 83.0% do as of 2024.
be 25.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Nauru, 98% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.9% more on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nauru spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 3.2 times more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nauru, that number is 18.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 85.6% less coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Nauru, that number is 30 km.
Safety
be 31.6% 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 Nauru, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.3 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nauru has 10.0 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Nauru
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Nauru: At a glance
How big is Nauru compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.