| Source | UN (World Population Prospects 2024) |
| Date | 28 Feb 2025 |
As of 2025, the population of Sao Tome and Principe is projected at 240k, compared to 236k in 2024. It ranks 188th in the world by population and 56th in Africa. The population growth rate in 2025 is projected at 1.97 percent, the 51st highest among 237 countries and dependent territories.
There are 119k males and 121k females in Sao Tome and Principe. The percentage of the male population is 49.68%, compared to 50.32% of the female population. Sao Tome and Principe has 1,516 more females than males. The sex ratio in Sao Tome and Principe in 2025 will be 98.746 males per 100 females. Sao Tome and Principe is in the 131th position in terms of the female-to-male ratio.
| Year | Population | Growth (%) | M per 100 F | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Total | |||
| 1950 | 33,836 | 27,038 | 60,874 | 1.47 | 125.142 |
| 1955 | 36,015 | 28,591 | 64,606 | 0.94 | 125.966 |
| 1960 | 38,236 | 29,776 | 68,012 | 1.02 | 128.412 |
| 1965 | 38,631 | 33,049 | 71,680 | 1.18 | 116.890 |
| 1970 | 40,397 | 37,230 | 77,626 | 2.18 | 108.507 |
| 1975 | 44,452 | 42,257 | 86,708 | 2.45 | 105.194 |
| 1980 | 50,026 | 48,518 | 98,544 | 2.23 | 103.108 |
| 1985 | 54,378 | 54,280 | 108,658 | 2.21 | 100.181 |
| 1990 | 61,209 | 61,772 | 122,980 | 2.44 | 99.089 |
| 1995 | 67,064 | 67,831 | 134,895 | 1.57 | 98.869 |
| 2000 | 71,585 | 72,434 | 144,018 | 1.06 | 98.828 |
| 2005 | 80,406 | 81,234 | 161,639 | 2.45 | 98.981 |
| 2010 | 90,535 | 91,267 | 181,802 | 2.13 | 99.198 |
| 2015 | 99,847 | 100,444 | 200,291 | 1.73 | 99.406 |
| 2020 | 108,302 | 109,133 | 217,435 | 2.24 | 99.239 |
| 2021 | 110,497 | 111,464 | 221,961 | 1.88 | 99.132 |
| 2022 | 112,605 | 113,701 | 226,305 | 1.99 | 99.036 |
| 2023 | 114,817 | 116,055 | 230,871 | 2.00 | 98.933 |
| 2024 | 117,078 | 118,459 | 235,536 | 2.00 | 98.834 |
| 2025 | 119,369 | 120,885 | 240,254 | 1.97 | 98.746 |
| Year | Life expectancy | Median age | Fertility rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 39.129 | 23.700 | 6.227 |
| 1955 | 39.280 | 23.064 | 6.184 |
| 1960 | 43.564 | 23.257 | 6.242 |
| 1965 | 51.072 | 20.084 | 6.349 |
| 1970 | 56.267 | 15.739 | 6.468 |
| 1975 | 58.561 | 15.990 | 6.534 |
| 1980 | 59.361 | 16.187 | 6.386 |
| 1985 | 60.139 | 16.316 | 6.101 |
| 1990 | 60.707 | 16.247 | 5.828 |
| 1995 | 60.536 | 16.096 | 5.554 |
| 2000 | 61.207 | 16.776 | 5.157 |
| 2005 | 62.434 | 17.495 | 4.939 |
| 2010 | 63.867 | 17.746 | 4.769 |
| 2015 | 66.023 | 17.886 | 4.354 |
| 2020 | 67.979 | 18.491 | 3.827 |
| 2021 | 68.026 | 18.677 | 3.759 |
| 2022 | 69.237 | 18.869 | 3.695 |
| 2023 | 69.718 | 19.052 | 3.644 |
| 2024 | 69.905 | 19.253 | 3.596 |
| 2025 | 70.081 | 19.475 | 3.526 |
| Year | Total | Crude(per 1000) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death | Birth | Crude death | Crude birth | |
| 1950 | 1,575 | 2,776 | 25.876 | 45.605 |
| 1955 | 1,591 | 2,682 | 24.626 | 41.511 |
| 1960 | 1,484 | 3,030 | 21.812 | 44.558 |
| 1965 | 1,158 | 2,770 | 16.157 | 38.641 |
| 1970 | 1,033 | 3,012 | 13.301 | 38.805 |
| 1975 | 1,028 | 3,543 | 11.860 | 40.865 |
| 1980 | 1,135 | 4,101 | 11.521 | 41.612 |
| 1985 | 1,217 | 4,459 | 11.201 | 41.038 |
| 1990 | 1,292 | 5,011 | 10.509 | 40.749 |
| 1995 | 1,386 | 5,334 | 10.276 | 39.542 |
| 2000 | 1,390 | 5,724 | 9.653 | 39.748 |
| 2005 | 1,403 | 6,300 | 8.680 | 38.979 |
| 2010 | 1,394 | 6,785 | 7.670 | 37.323 |
| 2015 | 1,346 | 6,615 | 6.719 | 33.025 |
| 2020 | 1,354 | 6,228 | 6.227 | 28.643 |
| 2021 | 1,375 | 6,330 | 6.196 | 28.518 |
| 2022 | 1,297 | 6,399 | 5.732 | 28.277 |
| 2023 | 1,287 | 6,507 | 5.572 | 28.185 |
| 2024 | 1,303 | 6,617 | 5.530 | 28.094 |
| 2025 | 1,319 | 6,688 | 5.489 | 27.837 |
| Year | Population | Urban (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | Rural | ||
| 1950 | 8,094 | 51,908 | 13.490 |
| 1955 | 8,661 | 50,122 | 14.735 |
| 1960 | 10,327 | 53,926 | 16.073 |
| 1965 | 14,147 | 50,649 | 21.833 |
| 1970 | 21,918 | 52,335 | 29.518 |
| 1975 | 26,136 | 56,471 | 31.639 |
| 1980 | 31,791 | 63,158 | 33.482 |
| 1985 | 39,432 | 64,202 | 38.049 |
| 1990 | 49,713 | 64,180 | 43.648 |
| 1995 | 61,496 | 64,958 | 48.631 |
| 2000 | 74,049 | 64,557 | 53.424 |
| 2005 | 92,078 | 63,552 | 59.165 |
| 2010 | 113,520 | 61,256 | 64.952 |
| 2015 | 137,228 | 58,325 | 70.174 |
| 2020 | 162,101 | 55,910 | 74.354 |
| 2021 | 167,201 | 55,517 | 75.073 |
| 2022 | 172,334 | 55,155 | 75.755 |
| 2023 | 177,512 | 54,830 | 76.401 |
| 2024 | 182,727 | 54,539 | 77.014 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | M per 100 F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | Share (%) | ||||
| 00-04 | 16,039 | 15,639 | 31,678 | 13.19 | 102.558 |
| 05-09 | 14,730 | 14,509 | 29,239 | 12.17 | 101.523 |
| 10-14 | 14,569 | 14,501 | 29,070 | 12.10 | 100.469 |
| 15-19 | 13,787 | 13,882 | 27,669 | 11.52 | 99.316 |
| 20-24 | 11,444 | 11,902 | 23,346 | 9.72 | 96.152 |
| 25-29 | 8,650 | 8,992 | 17,643 | 7.34 | 96.197 |
| 30-34 | 7,160 | 7,279 | 14,438 | 6.01 | 98.365 |
| 35-39 | 6,479 | 6,692 | 13,171 | 5.48 | 96.817 |
| 40-44 | 6,554 | 6,625 | 13,179 | 5.49 | 98.928 |
| 45-49 | 5,574 | 5,504 | 11,078 | 4.61 | 101.272 |
| 50-54 | 4,324 | 4,125 | 8,450 | 3.52 | 104.824 |
| 55-59 | 3,330 | 3,220 | 6,550 | 2.73 | 103.416 |
| 60-64 | 2,530 | 2,737 | 5,266 | 2.19 | 92.437 |
| 65-69 | 1,780 | 1,957 | 3,737 | 1.56 | 90.956 |
| 70-74 | 1,157 | 1,358 | 2,514 | 1.05 | 85.199 |
| 75-79 | 652 | 858 | 1,510 | 0.63 | 75.991 |
| 80-84 | 383 | 640 | 1,024 | 0.43 | 59.844 |
| 85-89 | 179 | 352 | 531 | 0.22 | 50.852 |
| 90-94 | 44 | 99 | 142 | 0.06 | 44.444 |
| 95-99 | 4 | 13 | 18 | 0.01 | 30.769 |
| 100+ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 0.000 |
| Total | 119,369 | 120,885 | 240,254 | 98.746 | |