World Factbook
São Tomé and Príncipe
Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
92.5% (2019 est.)
female
82.8% (2019 est.)
total population
87.4% (2019 est.)
Languages
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: shares of language sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census
Religions
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.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.99 male(s)/female
total population
1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.75 male(s)/female
Birth rate
25.87 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
5.84 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
20.4 years
total
21.2 years (2025 est.)
female
21.2 years
Population
male
111,553
total
223,561 (2024 est.)
female
112,008
Nationality
noun
Sao Tomean(s)
adjective
Sao Tomean
Tobacco use
male
13.1% (2025 est.)
total
7.3% (2025 est.)
female
1.7% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
76.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
2.96% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
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)
Ethnic groups
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)
Child marriage
men married by age 18
3.1% (2019)
women married by age 15
5.4% (2019)
women married by age 18
28% (2019)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
65.8 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio
60.4 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio
18.6 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
5.4 (2024 est.)
Physician density
0.46 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
7.8% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
14.9% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-6.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
2.9 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.18 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 71.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 77.3% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 79.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 28.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 22.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 20.7% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
5% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
18.1% national budget (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
46.1 deaths/1,000 live births
total
41.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
39 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
1.39% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.57 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
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
Life expectancy at birth
male
66 years
female
69.4 years
total population
67.7 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
75 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 43.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 53.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 56.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 56.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 46.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 43.2% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
3.58 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
4.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
80,000 SAO TOME (capital) (2018)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
12.4% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
19.4 years (2008/09 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
53.1% (2019 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
5.4% (2019 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
13 years (2021 est.)
total
13 years (2021 est.)
female
13 years (2021 est.)