Population density in Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe: Population density was 240.49 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
240.49 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
56th
of 216 countries
All-time high
240.49 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
71.57 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Population density in Sao Tome and Principe, 1961–2023

50100150200250196119922023

Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population density in Sao Tome and Principe is 240.49 people per sq. km of land area, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 19.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population density in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 240.49 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 71.57 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.

Sao Tome and Principe ranks 56th of 216 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.

Population density in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year

Annual values for Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Sao Tome and Principe, 1961 to 2023.
Year people per sq. km of land area Change
1961 71.57 people per sq. km of land area
1962 72.29 people per sq. km of land area +1.0%
1963 73.03 people per sq. km of land area +1.0%
1964 73.82 people per sq. km of land area +1.1%
1965 74.67 people per sq. km of land area +1.2%
1966 75.6 people per sq. km of land area +1.2%
1967 76.66 people per sq. km of land area +1.4%
1968 77.88 people per sq. km of land area +1.6%
1969 79.25 people per sq. km of land area +1.8%
1970 80.86 people per sq. km of land area +2.0%
1971 82.64 people per sq. km of land area +2.2%
1972 84.42 people per sq. km of land area +2.2%
1973 86.25 people per sq. km of land area +2.2%
1974 88.2 people per sq. km of land area +2.3%
1975 90.32 people per sq. km of land area +2.4%
1976 92.63 people per sq. km of land area +2.6%
1977 95.11 people per sq. km of land area +2.7%
1978 97.7 people per sq. km of land area +2.7%
1979 100.26 people per sq. km of land area +2.6%
1980 102.65 people per sq. km of land area +2.4%
1981 104.81 people per sq. km of land area +2.1%
1982 106.78 people per sq. km of land area +1.9%
1983 108.73 people per sq. km of land area +1.8%
1984 110.83 people per sq. km of land area +1.9%
1985 113.19 people per sq. km of land area +2.1%
1986 115.78 people per sq. km of land area +2.3%
1987 118.67 people per sq. km of land area +2.5%
1988 121.81 people per sq. km of land area +2.7%
1989 124.98 people per sq. km of land area +2.6%
1990 128.1 people per sq. km of land area +2.5%
1991 130.93 people per sq. km of land area +2.2%
1992 133.45 people per sq. km of land area +1.9%
1993 135.9 people per sq. km of land area +1.8%
1994 138.26 people per sq. km of land area +1.7%
1995 140.52 people per sq. km of land area +1.6%
1996 142.67 people per sq. km of land area +1.5%
1997 144.71 people per sq. km of land area +1.4%
1998 146.62 people per sq. km of land area +1.3%
1999 148.38 people per sq. km of land area +1.2%
2000 150.02 people per sq. km of land area +1.1%
2001 152.47 people per sq. km of land area +1.6%
2002 156.17 people per sq. km of land area +2.4%
2003 160.22 people per sq. km of land area +2.6%
2004 164.28 people per sq. km of land area +2.5%
2005 168.37 people per sq. km of land area +2.5%
2006 172.54 people per sq. km of land area +2.5%
2007 176.77 people per sq. km of land area +2.5%
2008 181.03 people per sq. km of land area +2.4%
2009 185.26 people per sq. km of land area +2.3%
2010 189.38 people per sq. km of land area +2.2%
2011 193.38 people per sq. km of land area +2.1%
2012 197.33 people per sq. km of land area +2.0%
2013 201.2 people per sq. km of land area +2.0%
2014 204.97 people per sq. km of land area +1.9%
2015 208.64 people per sq. km of land area +1.8%
2016 212.18 people per sq. km of land area +1.7%
2017 215.59 people per sq. km of land area +1.6%
2018 218.94 people per sq. km of land area +1.6%
2019 222.28 people per sq. km of land area +1.5%
2020 226.5 people per sq. km of land area +1.9%
2021 231.21 people per sq. km of land area +2.1%
2022 235.73 people per sq. km of land area +2.0%
2023 240.49 people per sq. km of land area +2.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 74.98 people per sq. km of land area 71.57 people per sq. km of land area 79.25 people per sq. km of land area 9
1970s 89.84 people per sq. km of land area 80.86 people per sq. km of land area 100.26 people per sq. km of land area 10
1980s 112.82 people per sq. km of land area 102.65 people per sq. km of land area 124.98 people per sq. km of land area 10
1990s 138.95 people per sq. km of land area 128.1 people per sq. km of land area 148.38 people per sq. km of land area 10
2000s 166.71 people per sq. km of land area 150.02 people per sq. km of land area 185.26 people per sq. km of land area 10
2010s 206.39 people per sq. km of land area 189.38 people per sq. km of land area 222.28 people per sq. km of land area 10
2020s 233.48 people per sq. km of land area 226.5 people per sq. km of land area 240.49 people per sq. km of land area 4

Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe

  1. 53 Nigeria 250.21 people per sq. km of land area compare
  2. 54 Liechtenstein 249.04 people per sq. km of land area compare
  3. 55 Uganda 242.65 people per sq. km of land area compare
  4. 57 Germany 238.35 people per sq. km of land area compare
  5. 58 American Samoa 237.6 people per sq. km of land area compare
  6. 59 Dominican Republic 235.1 people per sq. km of land area compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More urban development data for Sao Tome and Principe

All data for Sao Tome and Principe →

Frequently asked questions

What is population density in Sao Tome and Principe?
Population density in Sao Tome and Principe was 240.49 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest population density recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
The highest recorded value was 240.49 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
What is the lowest population density recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
The lowest recorded value was 71.57 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for population density?
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 56th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
Is population density rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population density in Sao Tome and Principe. Statizoid, drawing on FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://urban.statizoid.com/stat/population-density-people-per-sq-km-of-land-area/sao-tome-and-principe/

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About this data

Indicator
Population density (people per sq. km of land area)
Unit
people per sq. km of land area
Source
FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
264 places, 15,342 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.