Kiribati vs São Tomé and Principe
São Tomé and Principe is 23% larger than Kiribati.
KiribatiSão Tomé and PrincipeKiribati moved onto São Tomé and Principe · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.81×
Kiribati is 0.81× the area of São Tomé and Principe. Put the other way, São Tomé and Principe is 1.23× the size of Kiribati.
 Kiribati |  São Tomé and Principe | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSão Tomé and Principe: 1.23× the area | 811 km²#172 of 194 | 1,001 km²#171 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSão Tomé and Principe: 1.76× the population | 136,488#178 of 194 · 2025 | 240,254#175 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySão Tomé and Principe: 1.43× the density | 168 / km²#56 of 194 | 240 / km²#42 of 194 |
| Urban populationSão Tomé and Principe: 1.09× the urban share | 63%#95 of 192 · 2025 | 69%#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSão Tomé and Principe: 1.15× the births per woman | 3.12 per woman#51 of 192 · 2024 | 3.60 per woman#39 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSão Tomé and Principe: 0.53 points higher | +1.45%#70 of 192 · 2025 | +1.98%#49 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSão Tomé and Principe: 1.11× the birth rate | 25.3 per 1,000#49 of 192 · 2024 | 28.1 per 1,000#38 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateKiribati: 1.29× the death rate | 7.1 per 1,000#97 of 192 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15São Tomé and Principe: 3.1 points higher | 34.4%#52 of 192 · 2025 | 37.5%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Kiribati: 0.5 points higher | 4.4%#134 of 192 · 2025 | 3.9%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSão Tomé and Principe: 0.7 per 1,000 higher | −3.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2025 | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadKiribati: 1.33× the refugees for its size | 0.04 per 1,000#134 of 190 · 2025 | 0.03 per 1,000#138 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySão Tomé and Principe: 3.3 years longer | 66.6 years#155 of 192 · 2024 | 69.9 years#131 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityKiribati: 4.22× the infant mortality | 38.8 per 1,000 births#28 of 191 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000 births#114 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 0.46 per 1,000#130 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 5.0%#141 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexKiribati: 0.007 higher | 0.644#137 of 190 · 2023 | 0.637#138 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaKiribati: 1.03× the income per person | $3,930#126 of 185 · 2025 | $3,800#128 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSão Tomé and Principe: 2.81× the economy | $349M2025 | $981M2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)São Tomé and Principe: 1.62× the output per person | $3,937#162 of 184 · 2025 | $6,388#144 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthKiribati: 3.2 points higher | +4.2%#65 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSão Tomé and Principe: 4.5 points higher | +6.5%#35 of 176 · 2025 | +11.0%#21 of 176 · 2025 |
| Unemployment | — | 9.1%#40 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySão Tomé and Principe: 14.4× the share in extreme poverty | 0.9%#88 of 149 · 2023 | 13.0%#42 of 149 · 2017 |
| Income inequality (Gini)São Tomé and Principe: 16.0 higher | 24.7#145 of 149 · 2023 | 40.7#33 of 149 · 2017 |
| Jobs in agriculture | — | 12.1% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industry | — | 22.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in services | — | 65.4% of jobs#68 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSão Tomé and Principe: 9.3 points higher | 1.2% of GDP#122 of 184 · 2025 | 10.5% of GDP#15 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSão Tomé and Principe: 8.8 points higher | 4.5% of GDP#166 of 168 · 2024 | 13.3% of GDP#153 of 168 · 2025 |
| Internet usersKiribati: 1.51× the share online | 89%#60 of 184 · 2024 | 59%#136 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSão Tomé and Principe: 1.15× the mobile subscriptions | 54 per 100#179 of 191 · 2024 | 62 per 100#171 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSão Tomé and Principe: 44.3× the forest share | 1% of land#175 of 192 · 2024 | 58% of land#33 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personSão Tomé and Principe: 1.07× the CO₂ per person | 0.59 t a year#143 of 185 · 2024 | 0.63 t a year#142 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySão Tomé and Principe: 0.6 points higher | 41.9%#57 of 190 · 2022 | 42.5%#56 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityKiribati: 20.0 points higher | 97.7%#120 of 192 · 2024 | 77.7%#149 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)São Tomé and Principe: 3.87× the air pollution | 3.9 µg/m³#190 of 191 · 2023 | 15.1 µg/m³#115 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSão Tomé and Principe: 8.8 points higher | 22.9% of land#60 of 191 · 2025 | 31.7% of land#27 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSão Tomé and Principe: 1.7 points higher | 2.5% of land#157 of 190 · 2024 | 4.2% of land#135 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | — | 1.9%#149 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | — | 3,200 mm#2 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityKiribati: 0.70 higher | +1.25#16 of 193 · 2025 | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionKiribati: 0.17 higher | +0.30#67 of 193 · 2025 | +0.13#75 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | Tarawa | Sao Tome |
| Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | São Tomé and Príncipe dobra (STN) |
| Official languages | English, Gilbertese | Portuguese |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+12 · UTC+12 to UTC+14, 3 time zones | UTC |
| Calling code | +686 | +239 |
| Region | Micronesia, Oceania | Middle Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Kiribati sits at about 1° N and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; São Tomé and Principe at 0° N is stretched to 1.0×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Kiribati bigger than São Tomé and Principe?
- No. Kiribati is 19% smaller than São Tomé and Principe. Kiribati covers 811 km² and São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km².
- How many times does Kiribati fit into São Tomé and Principe?
- About 1.2 times: São Tomé and Principe has 1.23× the area of Kiribati.
- Why do Kiribati and São Tomé and Principe look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Kiribati is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and São Tomé and Principe about 1.0×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Kiribati or São Tomé and Principe?
- São Tomé and Principe: 240,254 people against 136,488. Density: Kiribati 168 per km², São Tomé and Principe 240 per km².
- Which is richer, Kiribati or São Tomé and Principe?
- By gross national income per person, Kiribati: $3,930 against $3,800 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.03× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Kiribati or São Tomé and Principe?
- In São Tomé and Principe: life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years, against 66.6 — 3.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Kiribati and São Tomé and Principe have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Kiribati: presidential republic; São Tomé and Principe: semi-presidential republic.