Sao Tome and Principe

total: 2,512 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2020 est.)

1 government-owned TV station; 2 government-owned radio stations; 7 independent local radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available

.st

total: 112,200 (2021 est.) percent of population: 51% (2021 est.)

general assessment: local telephone network of adequate quality with most lines connected to digital switches; mobile cellular superior choice to landline; dial-up quality low; broadband expensive (2018) domestic: fixed-line is 1 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity is 85 telephones per 100 persons (2021) international: country code - 239; landing points for the Ultramar GE and ACE submarine cables from South Africa to over 20 West African countries and Europe; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

total subscriptions: 3,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions: 197,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 87 (2022 est.)

plantains, oil palm fruit, taro, bananas, fruits, cocoa beans, coconuts, yams, cassava, carrots/turnips (2022) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

revenues: $128.764 million (2022 est.) expenditures: $122.193 million (2022 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

-$79.437 million (2022 est.) -$95.248 million (2021 est.) -$59.595 million (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

$249.404 million (2022 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

lower middle-income Central African island economy; falling cocoa production due to drought and mismanagement; joint oil venture with Nigeria; government owns 90% of land; high debt, partly from fuel subsidies; tourism gutted by COVID-19

dobras (STD) per US dollar - 23.29 (2022 est.) 20.71 (2021 est.) 21.507 (2020 est.) 21.885 (2019 est.) 20.751 (2018 est.)

$96.977 million (2022 est.) $75.256 million (2021 est.) $49.337 million (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

cocoa beans, palm oil, gas turbines, integrated circuits, coconut oil (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Netherlands 26%, France 11%, Belgium 11%, Portugal 8%, Angola 6% (2022) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

$603.241 million (2023 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

household consumption: 81.4% (2017 est.) government consumption: 17.6% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 33.4% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 7.9% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -40.4% (2017 est.)

agriculture: 13.9% (2022 est.) industry: 4.4% (2022 est.) services: 79% (2022 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

40.7 (2017 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

lowest 10%: 2.6% (2017 est.) highest 10%: 32.8% (2017 est.) note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

$219.322 million (2022 est.) $201.145 million (2021 est.) $160.097 million (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, ships, electric generating sets, rice, cars (2022) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Portugal 35%, Angola 18%, Togo 13%, China 6%, Italy 5% (2022) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

6.59% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber

21.26% (2023 est.) 18.01% (2022 est.) 8.14% (2021 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

76,000 (2023 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

55.5% (2017 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line

88.4% of GDP (2017 est.)

$1.267 billion (2023 est.) $1.273 billion (2022 est.) $1.272 billion (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

-0.47% (2023 est.) 0.07% (2022 est.) 1.9% (2021 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

$5,500 (2023 est.) $5,600 (2022 est.) $5,700 (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

1.35% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.87% of GDP (2022 est.) 2.02% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

$64.476 million (2022 est.) $75.017 million (2021 est.) $75.288 million (2020 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

26.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

14.21% (2023 est.) 14.12% (2022 est.) 15.04% (2021 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 21.1% (2023 est.) male: 15.3% (2023 est.) female: 33.5% (2023 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

162,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 162,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

imports: (2022 est.) less than 1 metric ton

installed generating capacity: 30,000 kW (2022 est.) consumption: 95.235 million kWh (2022 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 40.95 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - total population: 78% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 80% electrification - rural areas: 73.7%

fossil fuels: 95.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) hydroelectricity: 4.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

9.873 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 1,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

particulate matter emissions: 33.75 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 0.12 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 0.04 megatons (2020 est.)

tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)

deforestation and illegal logging; soil erosion and exhaustion; inadequate sewage treatment in cities; biodiversity preservation

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban

agricultural land: 50.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 40.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 1% (2018 est.) forest: 28.1% (2018 est.) other: 21.2% (2018 est.)

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

1.9% of GDP (2018 est.)

2.18 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.) industrial: 600,000 cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

urban population: 76.4% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.96% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 25,587 tons (2014 est.)

total : 964 sq km land: 964 sq km water: 0 sq km

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)

209 km

highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

1 00 N, 7 00 E

the second-smallest African country (after the Seychelles); the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes, and both are mountainous

100 sq km (2012)

total: 0 km

agricultural land: 50.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 40.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 1% (2018 est.) forest: 28.1% (2018 est.) other: 21.2% (2018 est.)

Central Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, just north of the Equator, west of Gabon

Africa

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

flooding

fish, hydropower

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

volcanic, mountainous

6 districts (distritos, singular - distrito), 1 autonomous region* (regiao autonoma); Agua Grande, Cantagalo, Caue, Lemba, Lobata, Me-Zochi, Principe*

name: Sao Tome geographic coordinates: 0 20 N, 6 44 E time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: named after Saint Thomas the Apostle

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Sao Tome and Principe dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

history: approved 5 November 1975 amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; the Assembly can propose to the president of the republic that an amendment be submitted to a referendum; revised several times, last in 2006

conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe local short form: Sao Tome e Principe etymology: Sao Tome was named after Saint THOMAS the Apostle by the Portuguese who discovered the island on 21 December 1470 (or 1471), the saint's feast day; Principe is a shortening of the original Portuguese name of "Ilha do Principe" (Isle of the Prince) referring to the Prince of Portugal to whom duties on the island's sugar crop were paid

embassy: the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the US Ambassador to Angola is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe mailing address: 2290 Sao Tome Place, Washington DC 20521-2290

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 122 East 42nd Street, Suite 1604 New York, NY 101168 telephone: [1] (212) 317-0533 FAX: [1] (212) 317-0580 email address and website: stp1@attglobal.net Sao Tome and Principe Permanent Mission to the United Nations

chief of state: President Carlos Manuel VILA NOVA (since 2 October 2021) head of government: Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA (since 11 November 2022) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 18 July 2021 with a runoff on 5 September 2021 (next to be held in 2026); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president election results: 2021: Carlos Manuel VILA NOVA elected president in the second round; percent of vote in the first round - Carlos Manuel VILA NOVA (IDA) 39.5%; Guilherme POSSER DA COSTA (MLSTP-PSD) 20.8%; Delfim NEVES (PCD-GR) 16.9%; Abel BOM JESUS (independent) 3.6%; Maria DAS NEVES (independent) 3.3%; other 15.9%; percent of the vote in second round - Carlos Manuel VILA NOVA 57.5%, Guilherme POSSER DA COSTA 42.5% 2016: Evaristo CARVALHO elected president; percent of vote - Evaristo CARVALHO (ADI) 49.8%, Manuel Pinto DA COSTA (independent) 24.8%, Maria DAS NEVES (MLSTP-PSD) 24.1%; note - first round results for CARVALHO were revised downward from just over 50%, prompting the 7 August runoff; however, on 1 August 2016 DA COSTA withdrew from the runoff, citing voting irregularities, and Evaristo CARVALHO was declared the winner

three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; green stands for the country's rich vegetation, red recalls the struggle for independence, and yellow represents cocoa, one of the country's main agricultural products; the two stars symbolize the two main islands note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

semi-presidential republic

12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CD, CEMAC, CPLP, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal Justica (consists of 5 judges); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional (consists of 5 judges, 3 of whom are from the Supreme Court) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the National Assembly; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly for 5-year terms subordinate courts: Court of First Instance; Audit Court

mixed legal system of civil law based on the Portuguese model and customary law

description: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 25 September 2022 (next to be held 30 September 2026) election results: percent of vote by party - ADI 46.8%, MLSTP-PSD 32.7%, MCI-PS-PUN 6.6%, BASTA Movement 8.8%, other 5.1%; seats by party - ADI 30, MLSTP-PSD 18, MCI-PS-PUN 5, BASTA Movement 2; composition - men 47, women 8, percentage women 14.6%

name: "Independencia total" (Total Independence) lyrics/music: Alda Neves DA GRACA do Espirito Santo/Manuel dos Santos Barreto de Sousa e ALMEIDA note: adopted 1975

Independence Day, 12 July (1975)

palm tree; national colors: green, yellow, red, black

BASTA Movement Independent Democratic Action or ADI Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD Movement of Independent Citizens of S o Tom and Pr ncipe - Socialist Party or MCI-PS National Unity Party or PUN

18 years of age; universal

Portugal discovered and colonized the uninhabited Sao Tome and Principe islands in the late 15th century, setting up a sugar-based economy that gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century -- all grown with African slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling among the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and failed, non-violent coup attempts in 1995, 1998, 2003, and 2009. In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no-confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA, but legislative elections returned him to the office two years later. President Evaristo CARVALHO, of the same political party as TROVOADA, was elected in 2016, marking a rare instance in which the same party held the positions of president and prime minister. TROVOADA resigned in 2018 and was replaced by Jorge BOM JESUS. Carlos Vila NOVA was elected president in 2021. TROVOADA began his fourth stint as prime minister in 2022, after his party's victory in legislative elections.

the FASTP is one of the smallest militaries in Africa and consists of only a few companies of ground troops and some small patrol boats in November 2022, the FASTP's headquarters was attacked shortly after the prime minister's inauguration in what S o Tom authorities described as an attempted coup; in 2024, the governments of Russia and S o Tom and Principe signed a military cooperation agreement, which included training, materiel and logistics support, and information sharing (2024)

Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (Forcas Armadas de Sao Tome e Principe, FASTP): Army, Coast Guard of Sao Tome e Principe (Guarda Costeira de Sao Tome e Principe, GCSTP), Presidential Guard, National Guard (2024) note: the Army and Coast Guard are responsible for external security while the public security police and judicial police maintain internal security; both the public security police and the military report to the Ministry of Defense and Internal Affairs; the judicial police report to the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration, and Human Rights

the FASTP has approximately 500 personnel (2023)

the FASTP is lightly armed and has a small inventory of mostly older weapons and equipment (2023)

18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service (reportedly not enforced); 17 is the legal minimum age for voluntary service (2023)

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)

total: 4.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 0.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 3.58 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

26.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

women married by age 15: 5.4% women married by age 18: 28% men married by age 18: 3.1% (2019 est.)

5.4% (2019)

49.7% (2019)

4.9% of GDP (2020)

51.9% (2023 est.)

6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe s youthful age structure more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25 as of 2020 and high fertility rate ensure future population growth. Although Sao Tome has a net negative international migration rate, emigration is not a sufficient safety valve to reduce already high levels of unemployment and poverty. While literacy and primary school attendance have improved in recent years, Sao Tome still struggles to improve its educational quality and to increase its secondary school completion rate. Despite some improvements in education and access to healthcare, Sao Tome and Principe has much to do to decrease its high poverty rate, create jobs, and increase its economic growth. The population of Sao Tome and Principe descends primarily from the islands colonial Portuguese settlers, who first arrived in the late 15th century, and the much larger number of African slaves brought in for sugar production and the slave trade. For about 100 years after the abolition of slavery in 1876, the population was further shaped by the widespread use of imported unskilled contract laborers from Portugal s other African colonies, who worked on coffee and cocoa plantations. In the first decades after abolition, most workers were brought from Angola under a system similar to slavery. While Angolan laborers were technically free, they were forced or coerced into long contracts that were automatically renewed and extended to their children. Other contract workers from Mozambique and famine-stricken Cape Verde first arrived in the early 20th century under short-term contracts and had the option of repatriation, although some chose to remain in Sao Tome and Principe. Today s Sao Tomean population consists of mesticos (creole descendants of the European immigrants and African slaves that first inhabited the islands), forros (descendants of freed African slaves), angolares (descendants of runaway African slaves that formed a community in the south of Sao Tome Island and today are fishermen), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (locally born children of contract laborers), and lesser numbers of Europeans and Asians.

total dependency ratio: 77.9 youth dependency ratio: 71.2 elderly dependency ratio: 6.7 potential support ratio: 14.9 (2021 est.)

improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 94% of population total: 98.5% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 6% of population total: 1.5% of population (2020 est.)

5% of GDP (2020 est.)

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)

1.63 (2024 est.)

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2011)

total: 42.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) male: 46.1 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39 deaths/1,000 live births

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

total population: 67.7 years (2024 est.) male: 66 years female: 69.4 years

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.8% male: 96.5% female: 91.1% (2021)

80,000 SAO TOME (capital) (2018)

146 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

total: 20.8 years (2024 est.) male: 20.4 years female: 21.2 years

19.4 years (2008/09 est.) note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

noun: Sao Tomean(s) adjective: Sao Tomean

-6.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

12.4% (2016)

0.49 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

total: 223,561 male: 111,553 female: 112,008 (2024 est.)

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

1.42% (2024 est.)

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.)

improved: urban: 57.1% of population rural: 42.8% of population total: 53.4% of population unimproved: urban: 42.9% of population rural: 57.2% of population total: 46.6% of population (2020 est.)

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2015)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total: 5.7% (2020 est.) male: 10.1% (2020 est.) female: 1.3% (2020 est.)

3.31 children born/woman (2024 est.)

urban population: 76.4% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.96% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

2 (2024)

S9

total: 25 (2023) by type: general cargo 15, oil tanker 4, other 6

number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020) inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1

total ports: 2 (2024) large: 0 medium: 0 small: 0 very small: 2 ports with oil terminals: 0 key ports: Santo Antonio, Sao Tome

total: 1,300 km paved: 230 km unpaved: 1,070 km (2018)