Sao Tome and Principe

Portugal discovered and colonized the uninhabited Sao Tome and Principe 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 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 among the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and 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 legislative elections returned him to the office two years later. President Evaristo CARVALHO, of the same political party as TROVOADA, was elected in 2016, marking a rare instance in which the same party held the positions of president and prime minister. TROVOADA resigned in 2018 and was replaced by Jorge BOM JESUS. Carlos Vila NOVA was elected president in 2021. TROVOADA began his fourth stint as prime minister in 2022, after his party's victory in legislative elections. 

land

964 sq km

total

964 sq km

water

0 sq km

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)

209 km

highest point

Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

1 00 N, 7 00 E

the second-smallest African country (after the Seychelles); the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes, and both are mountainous

100 sq km (2012)

total

0 km

agricultural land

50.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 40.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 1% (2018 est.)

forest

28.1% (2018 est.)

other

21.2% (2018 est.)

Central Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, just north of the Equator, west of Gabon

Africa

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

note

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

territorial sea

12 nm

flooding

fish, hydropower

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 population distribution map

volcanic, mountainous

0-14 years

36.4% (male 41,337/female 40,106)

15-64 years

60.3% (male 67,101/female 67,775)

65 years and over

3.2% (2024 est.) (male 3,115/female 4,127)

beer

0.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

4.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

3.58 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

26.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

men married by age 18

3.1% (2019 est.)

women married by age 15

5.4%

women married by age 18

28%

5.4% (2019)

49.7% (2019)

4.9% of GDP (2020)

51.9% (2023 est.)

6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 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.

elderly dependency ratio

6.7

potential support ratio

14.9 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

77.9

youth dependency ratio

71.2

improved: rural

rural: 94% of population

improved: total

total: 98.5% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 6% of population

unimproved: total

total: 1.5% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

5% of GDP (2020 est.)

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)

1.63 (2024 est.)

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2011)

female

39 deaths/1,000 live births

male

46.1 deaths/1,000 live births

total

42.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

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%; other Portuguese-based Creoles are also spoken (2012 est.)

note

note: shares of language sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

female

69.4 years

male

66 years

total population

67.7 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

91.1% (2021)

male

96.5%

total population

94.8%

80,000 SAO TOME (capital) (2018)

146 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

female

21.2 years

male

20.4 years

total

20.8 years (2024 est.)

19.4 years (2008/09 est.)

note

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

adjective

Sao Tomean

noun

Sao Tomean(s)

-6.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

12.4% (2016)

0.49 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

female

112,008 (2024 est.)

male

111,553

total

223,561

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 population distribution map

1.42% (2024 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.)

improved: rural

rural: 42.8% of population

improved: total

total: 53.4% of population

improved: urban

urban: 57.1% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 57.2% of population

unimproved: total

total: 46.6% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 42.9% of population

female

13 years (2015)

male

12 years

total

12 years

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

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

1.3% (2020 est.)

male

10.1% (2020 est.)

total

5.7% (2020 est.)

3.31 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

2.96% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

76.4% of total population (2023)

6 districts (distritos, singular - distrito), 1 autonomous region* (regiao autonoma); Agua Grande, Cantagalo, Caue, Lemba, Lobata, Me-Zochi, Principe*

etymology

named after Saint Thomas the Apostle

geographic coordinates

0 20 N, 6 44 E

name

Sao Tome

time difference

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of Sao Tome and Principe

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

amendments

proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; the Assembly can propose to the president of the republic that an amendment be submitted to a referendum; revised several times, last in 2006

history

approved 5 November 1975

conventional long form

Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe

conventional short form

Sao Tome and Principe

etymology

Sao Tome was named after Saint THOMAS the Apostle by the Portuguese who discovered the island on 21 December 1470 (or 1471), the saint's feast day; Principe is a shortening of the original Portuguese name of "Ilha do Principe" (Isle of the Prince) referring to the Prince of Portugal to whom duties on the island's sugar crop were paid

local long form

Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe

local short form

Sao Tome e Principe

embassy

the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the US Ambassador to Angola is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe

mailing address

2290 Sao Tome Place, Washington DC  20521-2290

chancery

122 East 42nd Street, Suite 1604New York, NY 101168

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant)

email address and website

stp1@attglobal.netSao Tome and Principe Permanent Mission to the United Nations

FAX

[1] (212) 317-0580

telephone

[1] (212) 317-0533

cabinet

Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president

chief of state

President Carlos Manuel VILA NOVA (since 2 October 2021)

election results

2021: Carlos Manuel VILA NOVA elected president in the second round; percent of vote in the first round - Carlos Manuel VILA NOVA (IDA) 39.5%; Guilherme POSSER DA COSTA (MLSTP-PSD) 20.8%; Delfim NEVES (PCD-GR) 16.9%; Abel BOM JESUS (independent) 3.6%; Maria DAS NEVES (independent) 3.3%; other 15.9%; percent of the vote in second round - Carlos Manuel VILA NOVA 57.5%, Guilherme POSSER DA COSTA 42.5%2016: Evaristo CARVALHO elected president; percent of vote - Evaristo CARVALHO (ADI) 49.8%, Manuel Pinto DA COSTA (independent) 24.8%, Maria DAS NEVES (MLSTP-PSD) 24.1%; note - first round results for CARVALHO were revised downward from just over 50%, prompting the 7 August runoff; however, on 1 August 2016 DA COSTA withdrew from the runoff, citing voting irregularities, and Evaristo CARVALHO was declared the winner

elections/appointments

president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 18 July 2021 with a runoff on 5 September 2021 (next to be held in 2026); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA (since 11 November 2022)

three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; green stands for the country's rich vegetation, red recalls the struggle for independence, and yellow represents cocoa, one of the country's main agricultural products; the two stars symbolize the two main islands

note

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

semi-presidential republic

12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CD, CEMAC, CPLP, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

highest court(s)

Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal Justica (consists of 5 judges); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional (consists of 5 judges, 3 of whom are from the Supreme Court)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court judges appointed by the National Assembly; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly for 5-year terms

subordinate courts

Court of First Instance; Audit Court

mixed legal system of civil law based on the Portuguese model and customary law

description

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - ADI 46.8%, MLSTP-PSD 32.7%, MCI-PS-PUN 6.6%, BASTA Movement 8.8%, other 5.1%; seats by party - ADI 30, MLSTP-PSD 18, MCI-PS-PUN 5, BASTA Movement 2; composition - men 47, women 8, percentage women 14.6%

elections

last held on 25 September 2022 (next to be held 30 September 2026)

lyrics/music

Alda Neves DA GRACA do Espirito Santo/Manuel dos Santos Barreto de Sousa e ALMEIDA

name

"Independencia total" (Total Independence)

note

note: adopted 1975

Independence Day, 12 July (1975)

palm tree; national colors: green, yellow, red, black

BASTA Movement Independent Democratic Action or ADI Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD Movement of Independent Citizens of São Tomé and Príncipe - Socialist Party or MCI-PS National Unity Party or PUN

18 years of age; universal

plantains, oil palm fruit, taro, bananas, fruits, cocoa beans, coconuts, yams, cassava, carrots/turnips (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

expenditures

$122.193 million (2022 est.)

note

note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

revenues

$128.764 million (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2020

-$59.595 million (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2021

-$95.248 million (2021 est.)

Current account balance 2022

-$79.437 million (2022 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external 2022

$249.404 million (2022 est.)

note

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

lower 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

Currency

dobras (STD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2018

20.751 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

21.885 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

21.507 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

20.71 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

23.29 (2022 est.)

Exports 2020

$49.337 million (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$75.256 million (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$96.977 million (2022 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

cocoa beans, palm oil, gas turbines, integrated circuits, coconut oil (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Netherlands 26%, France 11%, Belgium 11%, Portugal 8%, Angola 6% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

7.9% (2017 est.)

government consumption

17.6% (2017 est.)

household consumption

81.4% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-40.4% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

33.4% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

0% (2017 est.)

agriculture

13.9% (2022 est.)

industry

4.4% (2022 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

79% (2022 est.)

$603.241 million (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017

40.7 (2017 est.)

note

note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

highest 10%

32.8% (2017 est.)

lowest 10%

2.6% (2017 est.)

note

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Imports 2020

$160.097 million (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$201.145 million (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$219.322 million (2022 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, ships, electric generating sets, rice, cars (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Portugal 35%, Angola 18%, Togo 13%, China 6%, Italy 5% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

6.59% (2022 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

8.14% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

18.01% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

21.26% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

76,000 (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

55.5% (2017 est.)

note

note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Public debt 2017

88.4% of GDP (2017 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$1.272 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$1.273 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$1.267 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

1.9% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

0.07% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

-0.47% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$5,700 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$5,600 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$5,500 (2023 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2021

2.02% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

1.87% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

1.35% of GDP (2023 est.)

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020

$75.288 million (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$75.017 million (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$64.476 million (2022 est.)

26.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

15.04% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

14.12% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

14.21% (2023 est.)

female

33.5% (2023 est.)

male

15.3% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

21.1% (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

162,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

162,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

imports

(2022 est.) less than 1 metric ton

consumption

95.235 million kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

30,000 kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

40.95 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - rural areas

73.7%

electrification - total population

78% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

80%

fossil fuels

95.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

hydroelectricity

4.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

9.873 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

1,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

1 (2020 est.)

total

2,512 (2020 est.)

1 government-owned TV station; 2 government-owned radio stations; 7 independent local radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available

.st

percent of population

51% (2021 est.)

total

112,200 (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line is 1 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity is 85 telephones per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

local telephone network of adequate quality with most lines connected to digital switches; mobile cellular superior choice to landline; dial-up quality low; broadband expensive (2018)

international

country code - 239; landing points for the Ultramar GE and ACE submarine cables from South Africa to over 20 West African countries and Europe; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

1 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

3,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

87 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

197,000 (2022 est.)

2 (2024)

S9

by type

general cargo 15, oil tanker 4, other 6

total

25 (2023)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

1

number of registered air carriers

1 (2020)

key ports

Santo Antonio, Sao Tome

total ports

2 (2024)

very small

2

paved

230 km

total

1,300 km

unpaved

1,070 km (2018)

the FASTP is one of the smallest militaries in Africa and consists of only a few companies of ground troops and some small patrol boatsin November 2022, the FASTP's headquarters was attacked shortly after the prime minister's inauguration in what São Tomé authorities described as an attempted coup; in 2024, the governments of Russia and São Tomé and Principe signed a military cooperation agreement, which included training, materiel and logistics support, and information sharing (2024)

Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (Forcas Armadas de Sao Tome e Principe, FASTP): Army, Coast Guard of Sao Tome e Principe (Guarda Costeira de Sao Tome e Principe, GCSTP), Presidential Guard, National Guard (2024)

note

note: the Army and Coast Guard are responsible for external security while the public security police and judicial police maintain internal security; both the public security police and the military report to the Ministry of Defense and Internal Affairs; the judicial police report to the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration, and Human Rights

the FASTP has approximately 500 personnel (2023)

the FASTP is lightly armed and has a small inventory of mostly older weapons and equipment  (2023)

18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service (reportedly not enforced); 17 is the legal minimum age for voluntary service (2023)

carbon dioxide emissions

0.12 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

0.04 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

33.75 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)

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

agricultural land

50.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 40.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 1% (2018 est.)

forest

28.1% (2018 est.)

other

21.2% (2018 est.)

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

1.9% of GDP (2018 est.)

2.18 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural

30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

600,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

2.96% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

76.4% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

25,587 tons (2014 est.)