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

Health

be 37.7% less likely to be obese

In Turkey, 28.8% 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 68.0% less likely to die by suicide

Turkey has a suicide rate of 2.7 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 7.5 years less

In Turkey, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 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 79.9% less spent on your healthcare

Turkey spends $1,769 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 79.2% fewer doctors per person

Turkey has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.

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have 22.4% less access to essential health services

Turkey scores 76 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

make 78.0% less money

Turkey has a GDP per capita of $18,599 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 2.6 times more children

In Turkey, there are approximately 11.0 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.

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be 5.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Turkey, approximately 15.0 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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be 15.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Turkey, approximately 8.0 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.

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Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Turkey, 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 34.1% less likely to have internet access

In Turkey, approximately 89.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

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be 18.8% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Turkey, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 94% 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 62.3% more on education

Turkey spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 34.8% more on healthcare

Turkey spends 4.3% 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 97.1% less coastline

Turkey has a total of 7,200 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

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Safety

be 80.0% more likely to die in a road accident

In Turkey, road accidents kill 6.5 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 96.1% less strain on fresh water

Turkey withdraws 48% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 87.2% less home broadband

Turkey has 23.4 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 88.3% less CO2

Turkey emits 5.4 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 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Turkey, air pollution causes 39.0 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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