São Tomé and Príncipe’s population growth fell to 2% y/y in 2025.

Neither way is good in itself. Faster growth adds workers and customers over time and also adds pressure on schools, clinics and housing. Slower growth eases that pressure and gives the workforce less room to expand. The latest figure is 2% y/y for January 2025, the same as the 2% y/y of a year earlier, with the exact change an increase of 0.02 percentage points. Since 2016 the range runs from a low of 1.5% y/y in 2019 to a high of 2.1% y/y in 2021, so the current rate sits close to the top of that range.

Why it matters. At 2% y/y, the islands need more school places, health services, homes and jobs each year just to keep conditions where they are. For households, that means more young people looking for work and more people sharing limited housing. For the state, it sets the pace at which public services and infrastructure have to grow.