São Tomé and Príncipe — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of São Tomé and Príncipe: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Sao Tome and Principe — in Central Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, just north of the Equator, west of Gabon. Political status: semi-presidential republic. It covers 964 sq km. Terrain: volcanic, mountainous. Climate: tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May).
| Capital | Sao Tome |
|---|---|
| Population | 223,561 (2024 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $1.291 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $5,500 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 0.9% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 14.4% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 9.2% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 93.1% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $96.977 million (2022 est.) |
| Imports | $219.322 million (2022 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 67.7 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 21.2 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 76.4% of total population (2023) |
| Government | semi-presidential republic |
| Independence | 12 July 1975 (from Portugal) |
| Languages | Portuguese 98.4% (official), Forro 36.2%, Cabo Verdian 8.5%, French 6.8%, Angolar 6.6%, English 4.9%, Lunguie 1%, other (including sign language) 2.4%; other Portuguese-based Creoles are also spoken (2012 est.) |
São Tomé and Príncipe’s GDP is $1.291 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $764.274 million (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 0.9% (2024 est.). See where São Tomé and Príncipe ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The quarter's signal was silence: no major domestic development, no external shock, no diplomatic breakthrough.
The country's course remains what it was in June — set by structural realities that no single quarter rewrites.
- What drags it down: graded on patchy data (86% complete) — read the score as an order of magnitude; a current-account deficit of $0 billion (10.4% of GDP) — living beyond its means
Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 78% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 93.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 6.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 8.875 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 0.6 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 2,602 kWh per person (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $96.977 million (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $219.322 million (2022 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $122.3 million (2022), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Carlos Vila Nova — President. President Carlos Manuel VILA NOVA (since 2 October 2021)
São Tomé and Príncipe maintains 8 embassies and 1 consulates abroad, hosts 11 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 8 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 1 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 11 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 209 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 2 (registration prefix S9) |
| Major seaports | Santo Antonio, Sao Tome |
Major airports
São Tomé International Airport (TMS) — São Tomé; Principe Airport (PCP) — São Tomé & Príncipe.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | semi-presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for São Tomé and Príncipe.
Historical timeline of São Tomé and Príncipe
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of São Tomé and Príncipe — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is São Tomé and Príncipe's power score?
São Tomé and Príncipe has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.