Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 66.24 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
66.24 years
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
181st
of 236 countries
All-time high
66.24 years
in 2023
All-time low
38.13 years
in 1953
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Sao Tome and Principe, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sao Tome and Principe recorded 66.24 years for life expectancy at birth, by sex in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 66.24 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 38.13 years, in 1953.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 181st of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 38.16 years | — |
| 1951 | 38.16 years | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 38.19 years | +0.1% |
| 1953 | 38.13 years | -0.1% |
| 1954 | 38.18 years | +0.1% |
| 1955 | 38.3 years | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 38.54 years | +0.6% |
| 1957 | 39.08 years | +1.4% |
| 1958 | 39.85 years | +2.0% |
| 1959 | 40.93 years | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 42.28 years | +3.3% |
| 1961 | 43.85 years | +3.7% |
| 1962 | 45.45 years | +3.7% |
| 1963 | 47.02 years | +3.5% |
| 1964 | 48.3 years | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 49.57 years | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 50.74 years | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 51.81 years | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 52.69 years | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 53.42 years | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 54.12 years | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 54.67 years | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 55.15 years | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 55.61 years | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 56.02 years | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 56.42 years | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 56.77 years | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 57.05 years | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 57.28 years | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 57.46 years | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 57.53 years | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 57.58 years | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 57.65 years | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 57.78 years | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 58.03 years | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 58.33 years | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 55.98 years | -4.0% |
| 1987 | 58.93 years | +5.3% |
| 1988 | 59.09 years | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 58.05 years | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 58.94 years | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 58.97 years | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 58.84 years | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 58.7 years | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 58.58 years | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 58.52 years | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 58.53 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 58.58 years | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 58.73 years | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 58.94 years | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 59.18 years | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 59.49 years | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 59.82 years | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 60.16 years | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 60.53 years | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 60.37 years | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 60.89 years | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 61.07 years | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 61.11 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 61.24 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 61.4 years | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 61.58 years | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 61.88 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 62.2 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 62.68 years | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 63.13 years | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 63.58 years | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 64 years | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 64.4 years | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 64.78 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 64.59 years | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 64.66 years | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 65.75 years | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 66.24 years | +0.7% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 66.24 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 65.33 years, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 66.24 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.07 years, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 38.75 years | 38.13 years | 40.93 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 48.52 years | 42.28 years | 53.42 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 56.05 years | 54.12 years | 57.46 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.89 years | 55.98 years | 59.09 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.73 years | 58.52 years | 58.97 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.38 years | 59.18 years | 61.24 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.96 years | 61.4 years | 64.78 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.31 years | 64.59 years | 66.24 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
- 178 Eritrea 66.51 years compare
- 179 Guyana 66.51 years compare
- 180 Mauritania 66.5 years compare
- 182 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 66.13 years compare
- 183 Timor-Leste 66.07 years compare
- 184 Gabon 65.91 years compare
More health data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -6.25 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.35 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 793.5 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 15 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2021)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.58 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0651 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Sao Tome and Principe was 66.24 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 66.24 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.13 years in 1953.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 181st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.