Rural population in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Rural population was 74,065 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Sao Tome and Principe, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Sao Tome and Principe recorded 74,065 for rural population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 74,065 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 54,175, in 1969.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 178th of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 57,518 | — |
| 1961 | 57,765 | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 57,680 | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 57,294 | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 56,707 | -1.0% |
| 1965 | 56,011 | -1.2% |
| 1966 | 55,301 | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 54,692 | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 54,286 | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 54,175 | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 54,526 | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 55,253 | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 56,072 | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 56,974 | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 57,993 | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 59,144 | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 60,420 | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 61,794 | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 63,209 | +2.3% |
| 1979 | 64,544 | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 65,686 | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 66,577 | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 67,173 | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 67,516 | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 67,740 | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 67,939 | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 68,128 | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 68,365 | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 68,667 | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 68,939 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 69,196 | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 69,366 | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 69,440 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 69,501 | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 69,517 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 69,470 | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 69,351 | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 69,140 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 68,811 | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 68,344 | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 67,737 | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 67,389 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 67,333 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 67,043 | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 66,429 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 65,595 | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 64,643 | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 63,675 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 62,793 | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 62,101 | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 61,709 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 61,770 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 62,451 | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 63,486 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 64,420 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 65,312 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 66,154 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 66,951 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 67,716 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 68,471 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 69,484 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 70,642 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 71,576 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 72,483 | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 73,320 | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 74,065 | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 56,143 | 54,175 | 57,765 | 10 |
| 1970s | 58,993 | 54,526 | 64,544 | 10 |
| 1980s | 67,673 | 65,686 | 68,939 | 10 |
| 1990s | 69,214 | 68,344 | 69,517 | 10 |
| 2000s | 65,474 | 62,101 | 67,737 | 10 |
| 2010s | 64,844 | 61,709 | 68,471 | 10 |
| 2020s | 71,928 | 69,484 | 74,065 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
- 175 Tonga 81,794 compare
- 176 Bahamas 75,243 compare
- 177 Grenada 74,287 compare
- 179 Antigua and Barbuda 71,285 compare
- 180 Seychelles 66,909 compare
- 181 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 51,979 compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sao Tome and Principe
- 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, annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3083 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 12.19 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 12.19 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Rural population in Sao Tome and Principe was 74,065 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 74,065 in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 54,175 in 1969.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for rural population?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 178th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural 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
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.