São Tomé and Principe vs Tonga
São Tomé and Principe is 34% larger than Tonga.
São Tomé and PrincipeTongaSão Tomé and Principe moved onto Tonga · Equal-area projection
1.34×
São Tomé and Principe is 1.34× the area of Tonga.
 São Tomé and Principe |  Tonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSão Tomé and Principe: 1.34× the area | 1,001 km²#171 of 194 | 749 km²#175 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSão Tomé and Principe: 2.32× the population | 240,254#175 of 194 · 2025 | 103,742#182 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySão Tomé and Principe: 1.73× the density | 240 / km²#42 of 194 | 139 / km²#65 of 194 |
| Urban populationSão Tomé and Principe: 3.26× the urban share | 69%#78 of 192 · 2025 | 21%#186 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSão Tomé and Principe: 1.16× the births per woman | 3.60 per woman#39 of 192 · 2024 | 3.10 per woman#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSão Tomé and Principe: 2.40 points higher | +1.98%#49 of 192 · 2025 | −0.42%#177 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSão Tomé and Principe: 1.22× the birth rate | 28.1 per 1,000#38 of 192 · 2024 | 23.0 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateTonga: 1.16× the death rate | 5.5 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2024 | 6.4 per 1,000#125 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15São Tomé and Principe: 2.6 points higher | 37.5%#38 of 192 · 2025 | 34.9%#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Tonga: 3.0 points higher | 3.9%#144 of 192 · 2025 | 6.9%#102 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSão Tomé and Principe: 18.0 per 1,000 higher | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 | −20.7 per 1,000#190 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadTonga: 21× the refugees for its size | 0.03 per 1,000#138 of 190 · 2025 | 0.63 per 1,000#72 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyTonga: 3.2 years longer | 69.9 years#131 of 192 · 2024 | 73.1 years#103 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySão Tomé and Principe: 1.18× the infant mortality | 9.2 per 1,000 births#114 of 191 · 2024 | 7.8 per 1,000 births#125 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsTonga: 2.2× the doctors per person | 0.46 per 1,000#130 of 178 · 2022 | 1.01 per 1,000#108 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolment | — | 42.9%#87 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexTonga: 0.132 higher | 0.637#138 of 190 · 2023 | 0.769#91 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaTonga: 1.8× the income per person | $3,800#128 of 185 · 2025 | $6,840#97 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSão Tomé and Principe: 1.44× the economy | $981M2025 | $679M2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Tonga: 1.36× the output per person | $6,388#144 of 184 · 2025 | $8,675#133 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthTonga: 1.8 points higher | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | +2.8%#108 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSão Tomé and Principe: 5.4 points higher | +11.0%#21 of 176 · 2025 | +5.6%#37 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentSão Tomé and Principe: 4.55× the unemployment | 9.1%#40 of 178 · 2025 | 2.0%#162 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySão Tomé and Principe: 32.5× the share in extreme poverty | 13.0%#42 of 149 · 2017 | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)São Tomé and Principe: 13.6 higher | 40.7#33 of 149 · 2017 | 27.1#135 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureTonga: 11.5 points higher | 12.1% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 | 23.6% of jobs#75 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryTonga: 0.8 points higher | 22.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 | 23.3% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSão Tomé and Principe: 12.4 points higher | 65.4% of jobs#68 of 178 · 2025 | 53.0% of jobs#104 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSão Tomé and Principe: 7.9 points higher | 10.5% of GDP#15 of 184 · 2025 | 2.6% of GDP#73 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsTonga: 3.6 points higher | 13.3% of GDP#153 of 168 · 2025 | 16.9% of GDP#142 of 168 · 2024 |
| Internet usersTonga: 1.14× the share online | 59%#136 of 184 · 2024 | 67%#124 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 62 per 100#171 of 191 · 2024 | 62 per 100#171 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSão Tomé and Principe: 4.76× the forest share | 58% of land#33 of 192 · 2024 | 12% of land#143 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personTonga: 2.59× the CO₂ per person | 0.63 t a year#142 of 185 · 2024 | 1.63 t a year#110 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySão Tomé and Principe: 40.2 points higher | 42.5%#56 of 190 · 2022 | 2.3%#165 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityTonga: 22.3 points higher | 77.7%#149 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)São Tomé and Principe: 3.21× the air pollution | 15.1 µg/m³#115 of 191 · 2023 | 4.7 µg/m³#186 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSão Tomé and Principe: 18.4 points higher | 31.7% of land#27 of 191 · 2025 | 13.3% of land#127 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landTonga: 26.1 points higher | 4.2% of land#135 of 190 · 2024 | 30.3% of land#28 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | 1.9%#149 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 3,200 mm#2 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityTonga: 0.76 higher | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 | +1.31#11 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSão Tomé and Principe: 0.55 higher | +0.13#75 of 193 · 2025 | −0.42#114 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 0.9 per 100,000#110 of 146 · 2019 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Semi-presidential republic | Constitutional monarchy |
| Capital | Sao Tome | Nuku'alofa |
| Currency | São Tomé and Príncipe dobra (STN) | Tongan paʻanga (TOP) |
| Official languages | Portuguese | English, Tongan |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+13 |
| Calling code | +239 | +676 |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa | Polynesia, Oceania |
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. São Tomé and Principe sits at about 0° N and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Tonga at 20° S is stretched to 1.14×. 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 São Tomé and Principe bigger than Tonga?
- Yes. São Tomé and Principe is 34% larger than Tonga. São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km² and Tonga covers 749 km².
- How many times does Tonga fit into São Tomé and Principe?
- About 1.3 times: São Tomé and Principe has 1.34× the area of Tonga.
- Why do São Tomé and Principe and Tonga look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. São Tomé and Principe is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Tonga about 1.14×. 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, São Tomé and Principe or Tonga?
- São Tomé and Principe: 240,254 people against 103,742. Density: São Tomé and Principe 240 per km², Tonga 139 per km².
- Which is richer, São Tomé and Principe or Tonga?
- By gross national income per person, Tonga: $6,840 against $3,800 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.8× as much.
- Where do people live longer, São Tomé and Principe or Tonga?
- In Tonga: life expectancy at birth is 73.1 years, against 69.9 — 3.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do São Tomé and Principe and Tonga have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — São Tomé and Principe: semi-presidential republic; Tonga: constitutional monarchy.