Urban population growth in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Urban population growth was 2.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Sao Tome and Principe, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in Sao Tome and Principe stood at 2.4%.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 22.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 10.1% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2019.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 59th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.2% | 4.2% | 10.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.7% | 3.3% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.8% | 3.5% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.7% | 3.0% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.5% | 2.9% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.7% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
More climate change data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Population growth 2.0% (2025)
- Population, total 240,254 (2025)
- Urban population 166,189 (2025)
- Urban population 69.2% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.0409 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1.9% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 31.7% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 0.2% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 0.0% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 2.8 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Urban population growth in Sao Tome and Principe was 2.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 10.1% in 1965.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2019.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for urban population growth?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 59th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth 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 falling.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.