Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 23.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of undernourishment in Sao Tome and Principe, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Sao Tome and Principe recorded 23.0% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.5% on the previous year and up 29.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 23.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2005.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 19th out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 15.5% | — |
| 2002 | 13.8% | -11.0% |
| 2003 | 12.3% | -10.9% |
| 2004 | 11.1% | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 10.4% | -6.3% |
| 2006 | 10.6% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 11.6% | +9.4% |
| 2008 | 13.0% | +12.1% |
| 2009 | 14.6% | +12.3% |
| 2010 | 16.4% | +12.3% |
| 2011 | 17.4% | +6.1% |
| 2012 | 17.2% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 17.1% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 17.7% | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 18.1% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 17.9% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 17.5% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 17.4% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 16.5% | -5.2% |
| 2020 | 15.6% | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 15.9% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 18.6% | +17.0% |
| 2023 | 21.2% | +14.0% |
| 2024 | 23.0% | +8.5% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 23.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.1%, 2.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 23.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.8%, 1.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.5% | 10.4% | 15.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 17.3% | 16.4% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.9% | 15.6% | 23.0% | 5 |
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 prevalence of undernourishment in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Sao Tome and Principe was 23.0% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 23.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2005.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 19th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of undernourishment is the percentage of the population whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life. Data showing as 2.5 may signify a prevalence of undernourishment below 2.5%.