← Back to all countries
Sao Tome and Principe
A tiny two-island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe is Africa's smallest country and sits on the equator off the coast of Central Africa. The capital São Tomé features Portuguese colonial architecture. Once the world's largest cocoa producer in the colonial era, the islands now rely on cocoa exports, tourism, and recently discovered offshore oil potential.
Major cities: São Tomé, Santo Amaro, Neves, Trindade
2024
236K
UN
2050
365K
UN
2100
534K
UN
~2200
1.0M
GPU
~2500
1.0M
GPU
Population236K
Fertility (TFR)3.60
Life expectancy69.9
Median age19.1
Infant mortality9.4 per 1,000
Pop. density240/km²
Urbanization69%
Youth share (0-14)38%
Land area960 km²
ReligionChristian
HDI0.637 (#141)
RegionAfrica
Latest available year is shown in parentheses where the source series varies across indicators. Governance metrics use World Bank percentile ranks; battle deaths and military spending are context variables, not direct fertility drivers.
UN WPP 2024 — verified data through 2100
| Year | Population | TFR | Life Exp. | CBR | CDR | Net Migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 61K | 6.23 | 39.1 | 45.6 | 25.9 | -0K | 2.0% |
| 1955 | 65K | 6.18 | 39.3 | 41.5 | 24.6 | -0K | 1.7% |
| 1960 | 68K | 6.24 | 43.6 | 44.6 | 21.8 | -1K | 2.3% |
| 1965 | 72K | 6.35 | 51.1 | 38.6 | 16.2 | -1K | 2.2% |
| 1970 | 78K | 6.47 | 56.3 | 38.8 | 13.3 | -0K | 2.6% |
| 1975 | 87K | 6.53 | 58.6 | 40.9 | 11.9 | -0K | 2.9% |
| 1980 | 99K | 6.39 | 59.4 | 41.6 | 11.5 | -1K | 3.0% |
| 1985 | 109K | 6.10 | 60.1 | 41.0 | 11.2 | -1K | 3.0% |
| 1990 | 123K | 5.83 | 60.7 | 40.7 | 10.5 | -1K | 3.0% |
| 1995 | 135K | 5.55 | 60.5 | 39.5 | 10.3 | -2K | 2.9% |
| 2000 | 144K | 5.16 | 61.2 | 39.7 | 9.7 | -3K | 3.0% |
| 2005 | 162K | 4.94 | 62.4 | 39.0 | 8.7 | -1K | 3.0% |
| 2010 | 182K | 4.77 | 63.9 | 37.3 | 7.7 | -2K | 3.0% |
| 2015 | 200K | 4.35 | 66.0 | 33.0 | 6.7 | -2K | 2.6% |
| 2020 | 217K | 3.83 | 68.0 | 28.6 | 6.2 | 0K | 2.2% |
| 2024Now | 236K | 3.60 | 69.9 | 28.1 | 5.5 | -1K | 2.3% |
| 2025 | 240K | 3.53 | 70.1 | 27.8 | 5.5 | -1K | 2.2% |
| 2030 | 265K | 3.26 | 71.0 | 26.8 | 5.3 | -1K | 2.2% |
| 2035 | 290K | 3.04 | 71.8 | 25.6 | 5.2 | -1K | 2.0% |
| 2040 | 316K | 2.87 | 72.6 | 23.8 | 5.3 | -1K | 1.9% |
| 2045 | 341K | 2.73 | 73.4 | 22.2 | 5.4 | -1K | 1.7% |
| 2050 | 365K | 2.59 | 74.2 | 20.6 | 5.5 | -1K | 1.5% |
| 2055 | 389K | 2.49 | 75.0 | 19.6 | 5.7 | -1K | 1.4% |
| 2060 | 411K | 2.39 | 75.8 | 18.7 | 5.9 | -1K | 1.3% |
| 2065 | 433K | 2.31 | 76.6 | 17.8 | 6.2 | -1K | 1.2% |
| 2070 | 454K | 2.25 | 77.3 | 16.8 | 6.4 | -1K | 1.0% |
| 2075 | 472K | 2.19 | 78.1 | 15.9 | 6.7 | -1K | 0.9% |
| 2080 | 489K | 2.13 | 78.8 | 15.0 | 7.0 | -1K | 0.8% |
| 2085 | 504K | 2.09 | 79.5 | 14.4 | 7.4 | -1K | 0.7% |
| 2090 | 516K | 2.05 | 80.2 | 13.8 | 7.9 | -1K | 0.6% |
| 2095 | 526K | 2.01 | 81.0 | 13.3 | 8.4 | -1K | 0.5% |
| 2100 | 534K | 1.97 | 81.6 | 12.7 | 8.8 | -1K | 0.4% |