Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
be 75.7% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 81.8% less likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.2 years less
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 30.7% less spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 54.2% fewer doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
Economy
be 4.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 37.6% less money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 21.9% more children
In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 17.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Tonga, approximately 7.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 9.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Tonga, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 81% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 12.3% less likely to have internet access
In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 21.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Tonga, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 78% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.6% less on healthcare
Tonga spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 50.1% less coastline
Tonga has a total of 419 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 37.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 63.4% less home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 61.3% less CO2
Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Tonga vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.