Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 12.1 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 Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 15.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 7.8 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
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. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 89.8% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
be 13.9 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 New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 12.1 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 90.7% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 56.5% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 60.7% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 58.2% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 74.4% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 72.4 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 43.6% 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 New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.7 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 4.3 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 85.9% 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 New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.5 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. New Zealand
MORE COMPARISONS
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.