Rank #161 by World Population

🇸🇹Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe has a population of 230,871, ranking #161 in the world. The capital is Sao Tome. Located in Sub-Saharan Africa .

World Bank: Lower middle income

230,871

Population

#161

World Rank

69.7

Life Expectancy

$2,991

GDP Per Capita

Sao Tome and Principe, #161 by world population

Sao Tome and Principe Population History (1960-2024)

The country of Sao Tome and Principe had a population of 68,012 in 1960 and 235,536 in 2024, a 3.5× growth over 64 years. The peak was 235,536 in 2024. Average annual growth rate: 1.96%.

235,536

Population (2024)

68,012

Population (1960)

235,536

Peak (2024)

1.96%

Avg Annual Growth

Year	Population	Change	Annual %	Source
1960	68,012	-	-	estimate
1961	68,707	+695	+1.02%	estimate
1962	69,403	+696	+1.01%	estimate
1963	70,112	+709	+1.02%	estimate
1964	70,865	+753	+1.07%	estimate
1965	71,680	+815	+1.15%	estimate
1966	72,576	+896	+1.25%	estimate
1967	73,596	+1,020	+1.41%	estimate
1968	74,765	+1,169	+1.59%	estimate
1969	76,083	+1,318	+1.76%	estimate
1970	77,626	+1,543	+2.03%	estimate
1971	79,330	+1,704	+2.20%	estimate
1972	81,041	+1,711	+2.16%	estimate
1973	82,798	+1,757	+2.17%	estimate
1974	84,672	+1,874	+2.26%	estimate
1975	86,708	+2,036	+2.40%	estimate
1976	88,922	+2,214	+2.55%	estimate
1977	91,301	+2,379	+2.68%	estimate
1978	93,794	+2,493	+2.73%	estimate
1979	96,252	+2,458	+2.62%	estimate
1980	98,544	+2,292	+2.38%	estimate
1981	100,615	+2,071	+2.10%	estimate
1982	102,508	+1,893	+1.88%	estimate
1983	104,380	+1,872	+1.83%	estimate
1984	106,394	+2,014	+1.93%	estimate
1985	108,658	+2,264	+2.13%	estimate
1986	111,150	+2,492	+2.29%	estimate
1987	113,919	+2,769	+2.49%	estimate
1988	116,939	+3,020	+2.65%	estimate
1989	119,979	+3,040	+2.60%	estimate
1990	122,980	+3,001	+2.50%	estimate
1991	125,697	+2,717	+2.21%	estimate
1992	128,110	+2,413	+1.92%	estimate
1993	130,467	+2,357	+1.84%	estimate
1994	132,732	+2,265	+1.74%	estimate
1995	134,895	+2,163	+1.63%	estimate
1996	136,962	+2,067	+1.53%	estimate
1997	138,922	+1,960	+1.43%	estimate
1998	140,751	+1,829	+1.32%	estimate
1999	142,442	+1,691	+1.20%	estimate
2000	144,018	+1,576	+1.11%	estimate
2001	146,375	+2,357	+1.64%	estimate
2002	149,922	+3,547	+2.42%	estimate
2003	153,814	+3,892	+2.60%	estimate
2004	157,705	+3,891	+2.53%	estimate
2005	161,639	+3,934	+2.49%	estimate
2006	165,638	+3,999	+2.47%	estimate
2007	169,700	+4,062	+2.45%	estimate
2008	173,793	+4,093	+2.41%	estimate
2009	177,853	+4,060	+2.34%	estimate
2010	181,802	+3,949	+2.22%	estimate
2011	185,649	+3,847	+2.12%	estimate
2012	189,439	+3,790	+2.04%	estimate
2013	193,148	+3,709	+1.96%	estimate
2014	196,767	+3,619	+1.87%	estimate
2015	200,291	+3,524	+1.79%	estimate
2016	203,689	+3,398	+1.70%	estimate
2017	206,970	+3,281	+1.61%	estimate
2018	210,187	+3,217	+1.55%	estimate
2019	213,392	+3,205	+1.52%	estimate
2020	217,435	+4,043	+1.89%	estimate
2021	221,961	+4,526	+2.08%	estimate
2022	226,305	+4,344	+1.96%	estimate
2023	230,871	+4,566	+2.02%	estimate
2024	235,536	+4,665	+2.02%	estimate

Demographics

Population	230,871
Population Growth Rate	2.00%
Urban Population	68.6%
Fertility Rate	3.64 births/woman
Life Expectancy	69.7 years
Infant Mortality Rate	9.5 per 1,000
Literacy Rate	-

Economy & Trade

$2,991

GDP Per Capita

9.0%

Unemployment Rate

Lower middle income

Income Level

Health & Education

5.8%

Health Expenditure (% GDP)

0.46

Physicians per 1,000

5.0%

Education Expenditure (% GDP)

9.5

Infant Mortality (per 1,000)

Development & Connectivity

81.3%

Electricity Access

58.6%

Internet Users

Mobile Subs per 100

240.5

People per km2

-592

Net Migration

Environment

52.1%

Forest Area

Other Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi

Sao Tome and Principe in global context

Sao Tome and Principe is one of 212 countries tracked. See how it ranks globally, regional shares of world population, and projections to 2050 / 2100.

World Population 2026: Top 10 Countries, Regions & Trends →

Other related entities

Angola (36,749,906)Benin (14,111,034)Botswana (2,480,244)Burkina Faso (23,025,776)Burundi (13,689,450)All countries →

Country rankings

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Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome and Principe has a population of 230,871, ranking #161 in the world. The annual population growth rate is 2.00%.

Life expectancy in Sao Tome and Principe is 69.7 years. The infant mortality rate is 9.5 per 1,000 live births.

Sao Tome and Principe's GDP per capita is $2,991. It is classified as a lower middle income country by the World Bank.

68.6% of Sao Tome and Principe's population lives in urban areas. The overall population density is 240.5 people per square kilometer.

Literacy data for Sao Tome and Principe is available from the World Bank.

Sources: World Bank Open Data

International data from the World Bank Open Data API. Population figures are latest available estimates. GDP per capita in current US dollars.

For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.

Every number on this page links back to the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.

Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. states, metros, cities, and ZIPs. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.