placestats

Last European coloniser: Portugal · Largest religious group: Christians. These are labels that describe the country, not numbers, so they are never compared with other measures. The numbers behind them, such as population shares, are.

Sao Tome and Principe

Against lower middle income countries, Sao Tome and Principe ranks 3rd of 45 on governance and 32nd of 47 on infrastructure. Each ranking counts only the countries that report that score, so the totals differ and the two ranks can’t be compared directly. Both compare Sao Tome and Principe with countries of similar wealth. That is the only kind of ranking that tells you something a ranking by income does not already show.

How it has changed

Every measure Sao Tome and Principe reports, over all the years it has been published. Pick one. Hover or use the arrow keys to read a year. Gaps in a line are years with no data. They are left open, not filled in.

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Scores by area

Each score averages the measures in one area, such as health. Each measure is first put on a common scale and turned so that higher is always better. Zero is the average country in an average year. One point is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation), so +1 means about one typical gap above average. These are summaries, not measurements. See how the country scores are built and how the topic scores compare with each other.

ScoreValueRank, all countriesRank, similar incomeMostly income?
Governance score 2025+0.8054 of 1793 of 45moderate +0.53
Health score 2023+0.02102 of 19321 of 47moderate +0.32
Education score 2017+0.17142 of 19920 of 46proxy +0.81
Equality score 2017-0.24117 of 16524 of 44high +0.64
Infrastructure score 2024+0.19169 of 21032 of 47proxy +0.90
Gender score 2024+0.8063 of 1865 of 46moderate +0.37
Environment score 2024+0.7423 of 21311 of 47moderate -0.33
Labour score 2025-0.03115 of 19515 of 47high +0.79

The last column shows how closely each score just tracks national income. The number is its link with GDP per person (the value of everything a country produces, divided by its people), from −1 to +1. A score marked proxy is mostly a measure of how rich the country is. Its rank among all countries says little that GDP per person does not. That is why the rank among similar-income countries sits beside it.

The measures behind them

Every measure reported for Sao Tome and Principe, grouped by area. Some measures have no agreed better direction, such as population growth, inflation and military spending. They are listed here but left out of every score, since there is no fair way to say which way is better. Some names use technical terms: PPP means adjusted for what money buys in each country, HDI is a United Nations score combining life expectancy, schooling and income, and a Gini indexmeasures how unequally income is shared. Each measure’s own page explains it.

crime

Conflict deaths0per 100,000 people2025higher is worse
Armed conflict present01 if any conflict, else 02025higher is worse
Homicide rate3.23per 100,000 population2011higher is worse

culture

Religiously unaffiliated9.69%% of population2020no agreed direction
Christian share84.4%% of population2020no agreed direction
Muslim share0.0915%% of population2020no agreed direction
Single-parent households15.7%% of households2019no agreed direction
One-person households13.8%% of households2019no agreed direction
Women in a union53.1%% of women aged 15-492019no agreed direction
Marriage rate (UN)1.09marriages per 1,000 people2017no agreed direction

demography

Median age19.1years2023no agreed direction
Age at childbearing28.5years2023no agreed direction
Population240,254people2025no agreed direction
Population growth1.98%% per year2025no agreed direction
Urbanization69.2%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 65+3.94%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 0-1437.5%% of population2025no agreed direction
Fertility rate3.6births per woman2024no agreed direction
Birth rate28.1per 1,000 people2024no agreed direction
Net migration-650people2025no agreed direction
Migrant share of population0.8%% of population2024no agreed direction

economy

HDI0.637index, 0 to 12023higher is better
Inequality-adjusted HDI0.478index, 0 to 12023higher is better
GDP per capita (PPP)$5,459international $2025higher is better
GNI per capita (PPP)$6,632international $2025higher is better
GDP per capita (market)$1,360US$2025higher is better
GDP growth1.03%% per year2025no agreed direction
Inflation11%% per year2025no agreed direction
Trade openness46.6%% of GDP2025no agreed direction
FDI inflows-2.02%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Government consumption10.3%% of GDP2025no agreed direction
Employment in agriculture12.1%% of employment2025no agreed direction

education

Primary completion93.7%% of children2025higher is better
Expected schooling12.9years2023higher is better
Mean years of schooling5.99years2023higher is better
Education spending5.03%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Primary enrollment110%% gross2017higher is better
Secondary enrollment90.4%% gross2017higher is better
Tertiary enrollment12.8%% gross2015higher is better
Adult literacy87.4%% of adults2019higher is better
Compulsory schooling6years2025no agreed direction
Out of school, primary2.88%% of primary-age children2017higher is worse
Pupil-teacher ratio31.2pupils per teacher2017higher is worse

environment

CO2 per capita0.627t CO2e per capita2024higher is worse
Forest area52.1%% of land area2023higher is better
Agricultural land44.8%% of land area2023no agreed direction
Protected land31.7%% of land area2025higher is better

gender

Gender Inequality Index0.492index, 0 to 12023higher is worse
Gender Development Index0.98ratio of women's HDI to men's2023no agreed direction
Women's political empowerment0.843index (0-1)2025higher is better
Women ministers41.7%% of ministers2024higher is better
Women in parliament14.5%% of seats2025higher is better
Women in management71%% of managers2017higher is better
Married by 1828%% of women aged 20-242019higher is worse

governance

Corruption Perceptions Index45index (0-100, higher = cleaner)2024higher is better
Political rights (FH)2rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Civil liberties (FH)2rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Pre-trial detainee share32.8%% of prisoners2018higher is worse
Refugees originating2.12per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Electoral democracy0.632index (0-1)2025higher is better
Liberal democracy0.519index (0-1)2025higher is better
Participatory democracy0.391index (0-1)2025higher is better
Free and fair elections0.753index (0-1)2025higher is better
Regime type2regime category (0-3)2025higher is better
Political corruption0.289index (0-1)2025higher is worse
Freedom of expression0.793index (0-1)2025higher is better
Freedom of association0.768index (0-1)2025higher is better
Political civil liberties0.843index (0-1)2025higher is better
Civil society participation0.675index (0-1)2025higher is better
Birth registration98.6%% of children under 52019higher is better
Control of corruption0.184index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Rule of law-0.353index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Government effectiveness-0.719index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Regulatory quality-0.891index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Voice and accountability0.165index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Political stability0.489index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better

health

Life expectancy69.9years2024higher is better
Infant mortality9.2per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Under-5 mortality13.6per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Health spending5.77%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Suicide rate0.86per 100,0002021higher is worse
Hospital beds2.91per 1,000 people2019no agreed direction
Basic water access78%% of population2024higher is better
Basic sanitation48.7%% of population2024higher is better
Child stunting10%% of children under 52024higher is worse
Adolescent fertility85.2births per 1,000 women aged 15-192024higher is worse
Maternal mortality75per 100,000 live births2023higher is worse
Skilled birth attendance96.8%% of births2019higher is better
Alcohol consumption4.79litres per adult per year2020no agreed direction
Tobacco use8.3%% of adults2024higher is worse
Road traffic deaths27.9per 100,000 population2019higher is worse
Physicians0.464per 1,000 people2022higher is better
DTP3 immunisation87%% of children aged 12-23 months2024higher is better
Tuberculosis incidence87per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Premature NCD mortality19.5%% probability, ages 30-702021higher is worse
Anaemia in women39.7%% of women aged 15-492023higher is worse
Out-of-pocket health spending16.7%% of health spending2023higher is worse
Undernourishment17.4%% of population2023higher is worse
Food insecurity54.6%% of population2022higher is worse
Adult obesity17.9%% of adults2024higher is worse
Health coverage index60index, 0 to 1002023higher is better

inequality

Gini index40.7index (0-100)2017higher is worse
Extreme poverty rate13%% of population2017higher is worse

infrastructure

Internet users59.1%% of population2024higher is better
Mobile subscriptions62.4per 100 people2024higher is better
Electricity access77.7%% of population2024higher is better
Slum share of urban population82.4%% of urban population2022higher is worse
Fixed broadband2.99per 100 people2024higher is better

labor

Unemployment9.13%% of labor force2025higher is worse
Female labor participation22.7%% of women 15+2025no agreed direction
Male labor participation24%% of men 15+2025no agreed direction
Youth not in work or study43.8%% of 15 to 24 year olds2017higher is worse
Vulnerable employment35%% of employment2025higher is worse

Values are the most recent in 2010–2025, and different measures can come from different years. The year is shown beside each. Nothing here ranks countries by merit. An area score averages whatever measures its publishers happen to collect, and the choice of what to collect is itself a judgement made by someone else. All countries · How the country data works

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