Share of land area used for agriculture in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Share of land area used for agriculture was 44.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for agriculture in Sao Tome and Principe, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of land area used for agriculture in Sao Tome and Principe is 44.8%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 22.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 44.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 28.1%, in 1997.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 79th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 36.5% | — |
| 1962 | 36.5% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 36.5% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 36.5% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 37.5% | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 38.5% | +2.8% |
| 1972 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 34.4% | -10.8% |
| 1983 | 35.4% | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 30.2% | -14.7% |
| 1985 | 31.2% | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 31.2% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 31.2% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 32.3% | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 31.2% | -3.2% |
| 1990 | 30.2% | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 31.2% | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 31.2% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 31.2% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 32.3% | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 29.2% | -9.7% |
| 1996 | 29.2% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 28.1% | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 32.3% | +14.8% |
| 1999 | 36.5% | +12.9% |
| 2000 | 37.5% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 36.5% | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 35.4% | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 35.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 35.4% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 35.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 35.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 34.4% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 35.4% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 36.5% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 36.5% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 38.5% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 41.7% | +8.1% |
| 2017 | 42.7% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 43.8% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 44.8% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 44.8% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 44.8% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 37.0% | 36.5% | 37.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 38.4% | 37.5% | 38.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.4% | 30.2% | 38.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.1% | 28.1% | 36.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.4% | 35.4% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.2% | 34.4% | 43.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.5% | 43.8% | 44.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
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)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 12.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 12.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Sao Tome and Principe was 44.8% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 44.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.1% in 1997.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 79th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of land area used for agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures.