The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
São Tomé and Príncipe fits inside Gabon 279 times.
Gabon: 267,670 km² (2023) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 960 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Gabon’s coastline is 4.2 times as long as São Tomé and Príncipe’s.
Gabon: 885 km (2026 edition) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 209 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
São Tomé and Príncipe’s highest peak towers 974 m above Gabon’s.
Gabon: 1,050 m (2026 edition) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 2,024 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Gabon has 11 times as many people as São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 2.59 million (2025) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 240,254 (2025)
How crowded is it?
São Tomé and Príncipe is 25 times as densely populated as Gabon.
Gabon: 10 per km² (2025) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 250 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe are practically level.
Gabon: 170.5 cm (2019) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 170.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe are practically level.
Gabon: 160.1 cm (2019) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 159.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Gabon is 2.5 years older than in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 21.5 years (2023) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 19.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
São Tomé and Príncipe and Gabon are practically level.
Gabon: 3.59 children per woman (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 3.6 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe are practically level.
Gabon: 4.1% (2025) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 3.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Gabon: 0 (2025) · São Tomé and Príncipe: no data
How many official languages?
Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe are practically level.
Gabon: 1 (2026) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Gabon’s economy is 22 times the size of São Tomé and Príncipe’s.
Gabon: $21.4 billion (2025) · São Tomé and Príncipe: $981 million (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Gabon produces 3.5 times as much per person as São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: Int$22,218 (2025) · São Tomé and Príncipe: Int$6,388 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in São Tomé and Príncipe than in Gabon (Gini 2.7 points higher).
Gabon: 38 (2017) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 40.7 (2017)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 20% in Gabon, versus 9.1% in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 20.2% (2025) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 9.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Gabon: 1.5% (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: no data
How expensive is it?
São Tomé and Príncipe’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Gabon’s.
Gabon: 37% (2025) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 64% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Gabon spends 48% more on health per person than São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: $253 (2023) · São Tomé and Príncipe: $171 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in São Tomé and Príncipe live 1.4 years longer than in Gabon.
Gabon: 68.5 years (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 69.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Gabon is 2.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 25.9 per 1,000 (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 9.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Gabon has 12% more doctors per person than São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 0.5 per 1,000 (2022) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 0.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
22% of adults in Gabon are obese, versus 16% in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 21.8% (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 16.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in Gabon smoke, versus 8.3% in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 13.3% (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 8.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Gabon: 5.17 (2025) · São Tomé and Príncipe: no data
How much do people drink?
Adults in Gabon drink 84% more alcohol than in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 8 litres (2023) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Gabon has 2.5 times as much meat per person as São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 63.1 kg (2023) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 25.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Gabon has 407 kcal more food per person per day than São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 2,686 kcal (2023) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 2,279 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Gabon: 2,174 hours (2023) · São Tomé and Príncipe: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Gabon went to school 3.7 years longer than in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 9.7 years (2023) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Gabon: no data · São Tomé and Príncipe: 0.16 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
69% of people in Gabon are online, versus 59% in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 69% (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 59% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
95% of people in Gabon have electricity, versus 78% in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 95.1% (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 77.7% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Gabon live in cities, versus 69% in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 92% (2025) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 69% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Gabon has 125 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, São Tomé and Príncipe 62.
Gabon: 125 (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 62 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Gabon: 648 km (2021) · São Tomé and Príncipe: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from São Tomé and Príncipe fly 5.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Gabon.
Gabon: 0.03 (2016) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 0.16 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 91% of Gabon, but only 52% of São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 91.2% (2023) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 52.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Gabon emits 3.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 2.1 t (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
35% of Gabon’s electricity is renewable, versus 11% in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 35.4% (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 11.1% (2023)
How clean is the air?
The air in Gabon carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 32.2 µg/m³ (2024) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Gabon are 7% deadlier than in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 12.5 per 100k (2021) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 11.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
São Tomé and Príncipe is on average 0.8 °C warmer than Gabon.
Gabon: 25.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Gabon gets 40% more rain than São Tomé and Príncipe.
Gabon: 2,080 mm (2016–2025 avg) · São Tomé and Príncipe: 1,487 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Gabon bigger than São Tomé and Príncipe?
Gabon is larger. São Tomé and Príncipe fits inside Gabon 279 times.
Which has more people, Gabon or São Tomé and Príncipe?
Gabon has 11 times as many people as São Tomé and Príncipe (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Gabon or São Tomé and Príncipe?
People in São Tomé and Príncipe live 1.4 years longer than in Gabon. Life expectancy at birth is 68.5 years in Gabon and 69.9 in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Are people taller in Gabon or São Tomé and Príncipe?
Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
