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

Health

live 2.0 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 Tajikistan, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 4.0 times more doctors per person

Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Tajikistan has 18.7 as of 2023.

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have 13.6% more access to essential health services

Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tajikistan scores 67 as of 2021.

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be 28.7% more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tajikistan, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.8 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 Tajikistan, it is 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 24.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tajikistan, that number is 6.9% as of 2025.

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make 59.9% less money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Tajikistan, the GDP per capita is $1,637 as of 2025.

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Life

be 81.3% 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 Tajikistan, 14.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.6 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 Tajikistan, on the other hand, 23.5 children do 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 Tajikistan, 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 14.4% 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 Tajikistan, that number is 89% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 87% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 28.9% more on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tajikistan, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 18.8% more 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 Tajikistan, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 67.2% less home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tajikistan has 1.0 as of 2023.

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live with 37.2 times more strain on fresh water

Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Tajikistan withdraws 70% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 87.1% more 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 Tajikistan, it causes 159.0 as of 2019.

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emit 46.0% more CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tajikistan emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Tajikistan: At a glance

Tajikistan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 141,510 sq km. The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bands of indigenous guerrillas (called "basmachi") fiercely contested Bolshevik control of the area, which was not fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan was first created as an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan in 1924, but the USSR designated Tajikistan a separate republic in 1929 and transferred to it much of present-day Sughd province. Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Tajikistan. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and experienced a civil war between regional factions from 1992 to 1997. Tajikistan endured several domestic security incidents during 2010-12, including armed conflict between government forces and local strongmen in the Rasht Valley and between government forces and criminal groups in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast. The country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Tajikistan became a member of the World Trade Organization in March 2013. However, its economy continues to face major challenges, including dependence on remittances from Tajikistanis working in Russia, pervasive corruption, and the major role narcotrafficking plays in the country's informal economy.
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