Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.0 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 New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 7.2 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.

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be 22.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2025.

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Life

have 50.1% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 14.0 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 New Caledonia, 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 38.7% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

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be 27.7% 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 New Caledonia, 100% of people do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 10.8 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

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Infrastructure

find 6.5 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Caledonia has 19.4 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 27.1 times more CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 2.0 times more expensive than Sao Tome and Principe overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Sao Tome and Principe is about 19 times smaller than New Caledonia.
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Moving from Sao Tome and Principe to New Caledonia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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