Urban population (% of total population) in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Urban population (% of total population) was 69.2% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Urban population in Sao Tome and Principe, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Sao Tome and Principe stood at 69.2%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.5% over five years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 69.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 68.2%, in 2021.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 94th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Urban population (% of total population) in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 15.4% | — |
| 1961 | 15.9% | +3.2% |
| 1962 | 16.9% | +6.1% |
| 1963 | 18.3% | +8.2% |
| 1964 | 20.0% | +9.3% |
| 1965 | 21.9% | +9.4% |
| 1966 | 23.8% | +8.9% |
| 1967 | 25.7% | +7.9% |
| 1968 | 27.4% | +6.6% |
| 1969 | 28.8% | +5.1% |
| 1970 | 29.8% | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 30.4% | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 30.8% | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 31.2% | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 31.5% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 31.8% | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 32.1% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 32.3% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 32.6% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 32.9% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 33.3% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 33.8% | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 34.5% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 35.3% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 36.3% | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 37.5% | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 38.7% | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 40.0% | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 41.3% | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 42.5% | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 43.7% | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 44.8% | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 45.8% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 46.7% | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 47.6% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 48.5% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 49.4% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 50.2% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 51.1% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 52.0% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 53.0% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 54.0% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 55.1% | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 56.4% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 57.9% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 59.4% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 61.0% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 62.5% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 63.9% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 65.1% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 66.1% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 66.7% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 67.0% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 67.1% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 67.3% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 67.4% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 67.5% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 67.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 67.8% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 67.9% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 68.0% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 68.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 68.4% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 68.6% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 68.9% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 69.2% | +0.4% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 69.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.9%, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 69.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 21.4% | 15.4% | 28.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 31.5% | 29.8% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 37.3% | 33.3% | 42.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.0% | 43.7% | 52.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.8% | 53.0% | 65.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.2% | 66.1% | 67.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.5% | 68.0% | 69.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
More climate change data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 133,140 kg (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 23.37 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 15.5 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 7.87 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0585 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.2811 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0.5528 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.424 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 0.1288 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0016 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Urban population in Sao Tome and Principe was 69.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 69.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.2% in 2021.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for urban population?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 94th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.