Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 8.1 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 Vanuatu, that number is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

be 2.0 times more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Vanuatu, that number is 25.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 64.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.

be 71.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.

make 45.5% less money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $5,500 as of 2023, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $3,000 as of 2023.

Life

be 35.6% 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 Vanuatu, 94.0 women do as of 2020.

be 67.7% 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 Vanuatu, on the other hand, 14.3 children do as of 2022.

have 22.1% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 20.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 29.4% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Vanuatu, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

be 10.3% 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 Vanuatu, that number is 70% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 54.0% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Vanuatu spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 18.4% less on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 4.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 12.1 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Vanuatu: At a glance

Vanuatu is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 12,189 sq km. Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted.
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How big is Vanuatu compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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