Life expectancy (Our World) in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Life expectancy (Our World) was 69.72 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
69.72
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
173rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
69.72
in 2023
All-time low
39.12
in 1953
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy in Sao Tome and Principe, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sao Tome and Principe recorded 69.72 for life expectancy in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 69.72 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 39.12, in 1953.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 173rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy (Our World) in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 39.13 | — |
| 1951 | 39.13 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | 39.14 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 39.12 | -0.1% |
| 1954 | 39.16 | +0.1% |
| 1955 | 39.28 | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 39.54 | +0.7% |
| 1957 | 40.1 | +1.4% |
| 1958 | 40.96 | +2.1% |
| 1959 | 42.11 | +2.8% |
| 1960 | 43.56 | +3.4% |
| 1961 | 45.19 | +3.7% |
| 1962 | 46.84 | +3.7% |
| 1963 | 48.4 | +3.3% |
| 1964 | 49.74 | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 51.07 | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 52.31 | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 53.45 | +2.2% |
| 1968 | 54.49 | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 55.4 | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 56.27 | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 56.96 | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 57.45 | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 57.9 | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 58.26 | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 58.56 | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 58.78 | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 58.98 | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 59.14 | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 59.27 | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 59.36 | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 59.43 | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 59.53 | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 59.68 | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 59.89 | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 60.14 | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 57.6 | -4.2% |
| 1987 | 60.66 | +5.3% |
| 1988 | 60.81 | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 59.73 | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 60.71 | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 60.79 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 60.71 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 60.62 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 60.55 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 60.54 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 60.58 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 60.65 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 60.79 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 60.98 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 61.21 | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 61.5 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 61.83 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 62.16 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 62.56 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 62.43 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 63.04 | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 63.34 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 63.45 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 63.67 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 63.87 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 64.12 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 64.51 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 64.93 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 65.48 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 66.02 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 66.56 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 67.07 | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 67.6 | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 68.04 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 67.98 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 68.03 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 69.24 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 69.72 | +0.7% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 69.72 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.65, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 69.72 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 39.77 | 39.12 | 42.11 | 10 |
| 1960s | 50.05 | 43.56 | 55.4 | 10 |
| 1970s | 58.16 | 56.27 | 59.27 | 10 |
| 1980s | 59.68 | 57.6 | 60.81 | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.69 | 60.54 | 60.98 | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.52 | 61.21 | 63.67 | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.82 | 63.87 | 68.04 | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.74 | 67.98 | 69.72 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 15 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0668 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Life expectancy in Sao Tome and Principe was 69.72 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 69.72 in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.12 in 1953.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for life expectancy?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 173rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).