Sao Tome and Principe Flag

Sao Tome and Principe

Population

246,463

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
188th
Share of world
< 0.01%
Annual change
+4,7401.99%

Population of Sao Tome and Principe

0200K400K600K800K1M1.2M1.4M1.6M1.8M2026246.5K2050 projection365.1K↑ 48% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

95% prediction interval

Current population estimate: 246,463. 2050 projection: 365,115.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Sao Tome and Principe. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
2026244,9941.99%188
2025240,2542.02%188
2020217,4351.90%188
2019213,3921.53%188
2018210,1871.55%188
2017206,9701.61%188
2015200,2911.96%189
2010181,8022.38%189
2005161,6392.34%191
2000144,0181.32%192

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Agua Grande is home to 82,618 people, 33.72% of Sao Tome and Principe's population.

City population80K30K10K
Agua Grande 82.6KSao Tome 82.6KMe-Zochi 51.8KLobata 23.8KCantagalo 21.5KLemba 17.6KPague 10.3KCaue 7.7K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Agua Grande82.6K33.72%
2Sao Tome82.6K33.72%
3Me-Zochi51.8K21.13%
4Lobata23.8K9.70%
5Cantagalo21.5K8.76%
6Lemba17.6K7.17%
7Pague10.3K4.21%
8Caue7.7K3.13%

Sao Tome and Principe by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
Sao Tome and Principe is home to an estimated 246,463 people, the 188th largest population in the world.
Daily change
Sao Tome and Principe has a net population change of approximately 13 people per day, driven by 19 births, 4 deaths, and net emigration of 2 people.
Share of world
Sao Tome and Principe makes up < 0.01% of the world's population and 0.02% of Africa's.
Density
255.2 people per km² of land (661.0 per mi²), ranking 62nd among countries and territories.
Urban living
69.17% of people live in urban areas.

Sao Tome and Principe Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 0100+ years, female: 195–99 years, male: 795–99 years, female: 1790–94 years, male: 4790–94 years, female: 10685–89 years, male: 18385–89 years, female: 36480–84 years, male: 37480–84 years, female: 61975–79 years, male: 67675–79 years, female: 88270–74 years, male: 1,18370–74 years, female: 1,41665–69 years, male: 1,86465–69 years, female: 2,07360–64 years, male: 2,57860–64 years, female: 2,78355–59 years, male: 3,46755–59 years, female: 3,35450–54 years, male: 4,48750–54 years, female: 4,32445–49 years, male: 5,74645–49 years, female: 5,74140–44 years, male: 6,55940–44 years, female: 6,67135–39 years, male: 6,48435–39 years, female: 6,70530–34 years, male: 7,31530–34 years, female: 7,46225–29 years, male: 9,05025–29 years, female: 9,45620–24 years, male: 11,97420–24 years, female: 12,37315–19 years, male: 13,79015–19 years, female: 13,84010–14 years, male: 14,76410–14 years, female: 14,6925–9 years, male: 14,8465–9 years, female: 14,5750–4 years, male: 16,2950–4 years, female: 15,882100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–45K5K10K10K15K15K

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

20.7 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

70.3 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

49.66%

Female

50.34%

Life expectancy 66.7Life expectancy 74.3

Ethnicity

Percentages are not reported for these groups.

  • MesticoNot reported
  • Angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves)Not reported
  • Forros (descendants of freed slaves)Not reported
  • Servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cabo Verde)Not reported
  • Tongas (children of servicais born on the islands)Not reported
  • Europeans (primarily Portuguese)Not reported
  • Asians (mostly Chinese)Not reported

Some groups have no reported percentage.

Data notes

Source estimate: est.

no percentages available

Religion

55.7%

Catholic, the largest religion

  • Catholic55.7%
  • None21.2%
  • Other6.2%
  • Adventist4.1%
  • Assembly of God3.4%
  • New Apostolic2.9%
  • Mana2.3%
  • Universal Kingdom of God2%
  • Jehovah's Witness1.2%
  • Unspecified1%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2012 est.

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Sao Tome and Principe United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. National Institute of Statistics