Rural population, annual growth rate in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Rural population, annual growth rate was 1.02 % change on previous year in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.02 % change on previous year
Change on year
down 12.0%
World rank
53rd
of 208 countries
All-time high
2.29 % change on previous year
in 1978
All-time low
-1.5 % change on previous year
in 2007
Years of data
65
1961–2025
Rural population, annual growth rate in Sao Tome and Principe, 1961–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in % change on previous year.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population, annual growth rate in Sao Tome and Principe is 1.02 % change on previous year, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.0% on the previous year and down 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population, annual growth rate in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 2.29 % change on previous year in 1978 and was at its lowest, -1.5 % change on previous year, in 2007.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 53rd out of 208 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population, annual growth rate in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % change on previous year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4294 % change on previous year | — |
| 1962 | -0.1471 % change on previous year | -134.3% |
| 1963 | -0.6692 % change on previous year | +354.8% |
| 1964 | -1.02 % change on previous year | +53.1% |
| 1965 | -1.23 % change on previous year | +19.8% |
| 1966 | -1.27 % change on previous year | +3.3% |
| 1967 | -1.1 % change on previous year | -13.1% |
| 1968 | -0.7423 % change on previous year | -32.6% |
| 1969 | -0.2045 % change on previous year | -72.5% |
| 1970 | 0.6479 % change on previous year | -416.9% |
| 1971 | 1.33 % change on previous year | +105.8% |
| 1972 | 1.48 % change on previous year | +11.2% |
| 1973 | 1.61 % change on previous year | +8.5% |
| 1974 | 1.79 % change on previous year | +11.2% |
| 1975 | 1.98 % change on previous year | +11.0% |
| 1976 | 2.16 % change on previous year | +8.7% |
| 1977 | 2.27 % change on previous year | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 2.29 % change on previous year | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 2.11 % change on previous year | -7.8% |
| 1980 | 1.77 % change on previous year | -16.2% |
| 1981 | 1.36 % change on previous year | -23.3% |
| 1982 | 0.8952 % change on previous year | -34.0% |
| 1983 | 0.5106 % change on previous year | -43.0% |
| 1984 | 0.3318 % change on previous year | -35.0% |
| 1985 | 0.2938 % change on previous year | -11.5% |
| 1986 | 0.2782 % change on previous year | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 0.3479 % change on previous year | +25.0% |
| 1988 | 0.4417 % change on previous year | +27.0% |
| 1989 | 0.3961 % change on previous year | -10.3% |
| 1990 | 0.3728 % change on previous year | -5.9% |
| 1991 | 0.2457 % change on previous year | -34.1% |
| 1992 | 0.1067 % change on previous year | -56.6% |
| 1993 | 0.0878 % change on previous year | -17.7% |
| 1994 | 0.023 % change on previous year | -73.8% |
| 1995 | -0.0676 % change on previous year | -393.7% |
| 1996 | -0.1713 % change on previous year | +153.4% |
| 1997 | -0.3042 % change on previous year | +77.6% |
| 1998 | -0.4758 % change on previous year | +56.4% |
| 1999 | -0.6787 % change on previous year | +42.6% |
| 2000 | -0.8882 % change on previous year | +30.9% |
| 2001 | -0.5138 % change on previous year | -42.2% |
| 2002 | -0.0831 % change on previous year | -83.8% |
| 2003 | -0.4307 % change on previous year | +418.3% |
| 2004 | -0.9158 % change on previous year | +112.6% |
| 2005 | -1.26 % change on previous year | +37.1% |
| 2006 | -1.45 % change on previous year | +15.6% |
| 2007 | -1.5 % change on previous year | +3.2% |
| 2008 | -1.39 % change on previous year | -7.5% |
| 2009 | -1.1 % change on previous year | -20.4% |
| 2010 | -0.6312 % change on previous year | -42.7% |
| 2011 | 0.0989 % change on previous year | -115.7% |
| 2012 | 1.1 % change on previous year | +1015.3% |
| 2013 | 1.66 % change on previous year | +50.3% |
| 2014 | 1.47 % change on previous year | -11.2% |
| 2015 | 1.38 % change on previous year | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 1.29 % change on previous year | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 1.2 % change on previous year | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 1.14 % change on previous year | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 1.11 % change on previous year | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 1.48 % change on previous year | +32.7% |
| 2021 | 1.67 % change on previous year | +12.6% |
| 2022 | 1.32 % change on previous year | -20.7% |
| 2023 | 1.27 % change on previous year | -4.2% |
| 2024 | 1.15 % change on previous year | -8.9% |
| 2025 | 1.02 % change on previous year | -12.0% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 1.02 % change on previous year is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.8714 % change on previous year, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 1.02 % change on previous year is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.21 % change on previous year, 84% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population, annual growth rate in Sao Tome and Principe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +1015.3% | 0.0989 % change on previous year | 1.1 % change on previous year |
| 1970 | +416.9% | -0.2045 % change on previous year | 0.6479 % change on previous year |
| 2003 | -418.3% | -0.0831 % change on previous year | -0.4307 % change on previous year |
| 1995 | -393.7% | 0.023 % change on previous year | -0.0676 % change on previous year |
| 1963 | -354.8% | -0.1471 % change on previous year | -0.6692 % change on previous year |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -0.6616 % change on previous year | -1.27 % change on previous year | 0.4294 % change on previous year | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.77 % change on previous year | 0.6479 % change on previous year | 2.29 % change on previous year | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6621 % change on previous year | 0.2782 % change on previous year | 1.77 % change on previous year | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.0862 % change on previous year | -0.6787 % change on previous year | 0.3728 % change on previous year | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.9523 % change on previous year | -1.5 % change on previous year | -0.0831 % change on previous year | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9835 % change on previous year | -0.6312 % change on previous year | 1.66 % change on previous year | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.32 % change on previous year | 1.02 % change on previous year | 1.67 % change on previous year | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
- 50 Senegal 1.11 % change on previous year compare
- 51 East Timor 1.1 % change on previous year compare
- 52 Djibouti 1.05 % change on previous year compare
- 54 Sierra Leone 1 % change on previous year compare
- 55 Pakistan 0.984 % change on previous year compare
- 56 Ireland 0.9559 % change on previous year compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.7042 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1786 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.6726 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.1869 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1219 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 497.9 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population, annual growth rate in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Rural population, annual growth rate in Sao Tome and Principe was 1.02 % change on previous year in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest rural population, annual growth rate recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 2.29 % change on previous year in 1978.
- What is the lowest rural population, annual growth rate recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.5 % change on previous year in 2007.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for rural population, annual growth rate?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 53rd out of 208 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population, annual growth rate rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Rural population, annual growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
The year-on-year percentage change in Rural population. Computed from consecutive annual observations; years either side of a gap are skipped rather than bridged.
Computed from
- Rural population World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
The year-on-year percentage change in Rural population. Computed from consecutive annual observations; years either side of a gap are skipped rather than bridged.