Portugal discovered and colonized the uninhabited islands in the late 15th century, setting up a sugar-based economy that gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with African plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and five failed, non-violent coup attempts in 1995, 1998, 2003, and 2009. In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA, but in 2014, legislative elections returned him to the office. President Evaristo CARVALHO, of the same political party as Prime Minister TROVOADA, was elected in September 2016, marking a rare instance in which the positions of president and prime minister were held by the same party. Prime Minister TROVOADA resigned at the end of 2018 and was replaced by Jorge BOM JESUS. Carlos Vila NOVA was elected president in September 2021 and was inaugurated early the following month. TROVOADA began his fourth stint as prime minister in November 2022, following his party’s victory in legislative elections held in September of that year.
land: 964 sq km
water: 0 sq km
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 40.6% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 1% (2018 est.)
forest: 28.1% (2018 est.)
other: 21.2% (2018 est.)
220,372 (2023 est.)
noun: Sao Tomean(s)
adjective: Sao Tomean
Mestico, Angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), Forros (descendants of freed slaves), Servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cabo Verde), Tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese), Asians (mostly Chinese)
Portuguese 98.4% (official), Forro 36.2%, Cabo Verdian 8.5%, French 6.8%, Angolar 6.6%, English 4.9%, Lunguie 1%, other (including sign language) 2.4%; note - shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census; other Portuguese-based Creoles are also spoken (2012 est.)
Catholic 55.7%, Adventist 4.1%, Assembly of God 3.4%, New Apostolic 2.9%, Mana 2.3%, Universal Kingdom of God 2%, Jehovah’s Witness 1.2%, other 6.2%, none 21.2%, unspecified 1% (2012 est.)
Sao Tome and Principe’s youthful age structure – more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25 as of 2020 – and high fertility rate ensure future population growth. Although Sao Tome has a net negative international migration rate, emigration is not a sufficient safety valve to reduce already high levels of unemployment and poverty. While literacy and primary school attendance have improved in recent years, Sao Tome still struggles to improve its educational quality and to increase its secondary school completion rate. Despite some improvements in education and access to healthcare, Sao Tome and Principe has much to do to decrease its high poverty rate, create jobs, and increase its economic growth.The population of Sao Tome and Principe descends primarily from the islands’ colonial Portuguese settlers, who first arrived in the late 15th century, and the much larger number of African slaves brought in for sugar production and the slave trade. For about 100 years after the abolition of slavery in 1876, the population was further shaped by the widespread use of imported unskilled contract laborers from Portugal’s other African colonies, who worked on coffee and cocoa plantations. In the first decades after abolition, most workers were brought from Angola under a system similar to slavery. While Angolan laborers were technically free, they were forced or coerced into long contracts that were automatically renewed and extended to their children. Other contract workers from Mozambique and famine-stricken Cape Verde first arrived in the early 20th century under short-term contracts and had the option of repatriation, although some chose to remain in Sao Tome and Principe.Today’s Sao Tomean population consists of mesticos (creole descendants of the European immigrants and African slaves that first inhabited the islands), forros (descendants of freed African slaves), angolares (descendants of runaway African slaves that formed a community in the south of Sao Tome Island and today are fishermen), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (locally born children of contract laborers), and lesser numbers of Europeans and Asians.
0-14 years: 37.21% (male 41,620/female 40,373)
15-64 years: 59.64% (male 65,356/female 66,078)
65 years and over: 3.15% (2023 est.) (male 2,986/female 3,959)
total dependency ratio: 77.9
youth dependency ratio: 71.2
elderly dependency ratio: 6.7
potential support ratio: 14.9 (2021 est.)
total: 20.4 years (2023 est.)
male: 20 years
female: 20.8 years
1.45% (2023 est.)
27.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-6.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Sao Tome, the capital city, has roughly a quarter of the nation’s population; Santo Antonio is the largest town on Principe; the northern areas of both islands have the highest population densities as shown in this
urban population: 76.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.96% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
80,000 SAO TOME (capital) (2018)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
19.4 years (2008/09 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
146 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 43.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 46.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 39.9 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 67.4 years (2023 est.)
male: 65.7 years
female: 69.1 years
3.44 children born/woman (2023 est.)
1.69 (2023 est.)
49.7% (2019)
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 94% of population
total: 98.5% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 6% of population
total: 1.5% of population (2020 est.)
4.9% of GDP (2020)
0.49 physicians/1,000 population (2019)
2.9 beds/1,000 population (2011)
improved: urban: 57.1% of population
rural: 42.8% of population
total: 53.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 42.9% of population
rural: 57.2% of population
total: 46.6% of population (2020 est.)
degree of risk: high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
12.4% (2016)
total: 4.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 3.58 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 5.7% (2020 est.)
male: 10.1% (2020 est.)
female: 1.3% (2020 est.)
5.4% (2019)
51.9% (2023 est.)
women married by age 15: 5.4%
women married by age 18: 28%
men married by age 18: 3.1% (2019 est.)
5% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.8%
male: 96.5%
female: 91.1% (2021)
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2015)
deforestation and illegal logging; soil erosion and exhaustion; inadequate sewage treatment in cities; biodiversity preservation
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
agricultural land: 50.7% (2018 est.)
arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 40.6% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 1% (2018 est.)
forest: 28.1% (2018 est.)
other: 21.2% (2018 est.)
urban population: 76.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.96% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.9% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 33.75 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 0.12 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 0.04 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 25,587 tons (2014 est.)
municipal: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 600,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)
agricultural: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
2.18 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
ower middle-income Central African island economy; falling cocoa production due to drought and mismanagement; joint oil venture with Nigeria; government owns 90% of land; high debt, partly from fuel subsidies; tourism gutted by COVID-19
$904.057 million (2021 est.)
$887.393 million (2020 est.)
$861.341 million (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
1.88% (2021 est.)
3.02% (2020 est.)
2.21% (2019 est.)
$4,100 (2021 est.)
$4,100 (2020 est.)
$4,000 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$0 (2018 est.)
7.86% (2018 est.)
5.7% (2017 est.)
5.6% (2017 est.)
agriculture: 11.8% (2017 est.)
industry: 14.8% (2017 est.)
services: 73.4% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 81.4% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 17.6% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 33.4% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 7.9% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -40.4% (2017 est.)
plantains, oil palm fruit, coconuts, taro, bananas, fruit, cocoa, yams, cassava, maize
light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber
1.44% (2021 est.)
71,400 (2021 est.)
15.91% (2021 est.)
15.75% (2020 est.)
14.14% (2019 est.)
total: 22.9% (2021 est.)
male: 18% NA
female: 34.3% NA
66.7% (2017 est.)
40.7 (2017 est.)
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
revenues: $95 million (2019 est.)
expenditures: $102 million (2019 est.)
-2.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
88.4% of GDP (2017 est.)
93.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
26.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
calendar year
-$95.248 million (2021 est.)
-$59.595 million (2020 est.)
-$90.026 million (2019 est.)
$75.256 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$49.337 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$72.594 million (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Singapore 30%, Switzerland 24%, France 11%, Poland 7%, Belgium 7%, United States 5% (2019)
gas turbines, cocoa beans, aircraft parts, iron products, chocolate (2019)
$201.145 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$160.097 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$189.63 million (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Portugal 41%, Angola 17%, China 8% (2019 )
refined petroleum, cars, rice, flavored water, postage stamps (2019)
$75.288 million (31 December 2020 est.)
$47.148 million (31 December 2019 est.)
$43.684 million (31 December 2018 est.)
$292.9 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$308.5 million (31 December 2016 est.)
dobras (STD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
21.507 (2020 est.)
21.885 (2019 est.)
20.751 (2018 est.)
21.741 (2017 est.)
22.149 (2016 est.)
population without electricity: (2020) less than 1 million
electrification - total population: 78.4% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 80% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 73.7% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 28,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 78 million kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 11.9 million kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 89.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 10.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 1,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
1,027 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
173,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 173,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
11.636 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1
S9
2 (2021)
2
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
total: 1,300 km (2018)
paved: 230 km (2018)
unpaved: 1,070 km (2018)
total: 25 (2022)
by type: general cargo 15, oil tanker 2, other 8
major seaport(s): Sao Tome
manyapis