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

Health

be 31.3% less likely to be obese

In Tunisia, 26.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.

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be 53.3% less likely to die by suicide

Tunisia has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 6.8 years less

In Tunisia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 79 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.

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see 68.1% less spent on your healthcare

Tunisia spends $1,113 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.

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have 64.7% fewer doctors per person

Tunisia has 13.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.

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have 11.9% less access to essential health services

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

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Economy

be 39.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Tunisia, 15.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.

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make 12.3% less money

Tunisia has a GDP per capita of $4,657 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.1 times more children

In Tunisia, there are approximately 13.4 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.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Tunisia, approximately 36.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, 75.0 women do as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Tunisia, 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.

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be 22.7% less likely to have internet access

In Tunisia, approximately 76.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

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be 19.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Tunisia, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 93% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 25.3% less on education

Tunisia spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 27.8% less on healthcare

Tunisia spends 8.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 81.8% less coastline

Tunisia has a total of 1,148 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

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Safety

be 28.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Tunisia, road accidents kill 16.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 98.1% less strain on fresh water

Tunisia withdraws 98% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 80.0% less home broadband

Tunisia has 15.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 76.0% less CO2

Tunisia emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 54.5% more likely to die from air pollution

In Tunisia, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.

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

Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance

Sao Tome and Principe is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 964 sq km. Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with African plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA. The new government of Prime Minister Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira DA COSTA is entirely composed of opposition party members with limited experience in governance. New oil discoveries in the Gulf of Guinea may attract increased attention to the small island nation.
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How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Tunisia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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