Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 4.7 years longer
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 45.2% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In North Korea, that number is 6.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 78.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In North Korea, that number is 3.0% as of 2023.
make 69.1% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $5,500 as of 2023, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
Life
be 26.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 146.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In North Korea, 107.0 women do as of 2020.
be 50.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 44.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
have 50.6% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 29.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of people have electricity access (80% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 55% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2022.
Geography
see 11.9 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.