Forest area in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Forest area was 55,280 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
55,280 hectares
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
170th
of 235 countries
All-time high
59,070 hectares
in 1990
All-time low
55,030 hectares
in 2015
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area in Sao Tome and Principe, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, forest area in Sao Tome and Principe stood at 55,280 hectares.
That represents a change of up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 59,070 hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 55,030 hectares, in 2015.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 170th of 235 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 59,070 hectares | — |
| 1991 | 59,017 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 58,964 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 58,911 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 58,858 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 58,805 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 58,752 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 58,699 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 58,646 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 58,593 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 58,540 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 58,486 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 58,432 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 58,378 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 58,324 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 58,270 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 58,216 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 58,162 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 58,108 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 58,054 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 58,000 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 57,406 hectares | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 56,812 hectares | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 56,218 hectares | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 55,624 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 55,030 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 55,054 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 55,078 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 55,102 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 55,126 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 55,150 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 55,176 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 55,202 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 55,228 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 55,254 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 55,280 hectares | +0.0% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 55,280 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.89 million hectares, 1% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 55,280 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.37 million hectares, 1% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 58,832 hectares | 58,593 hectares | 59,070 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 58,297 hectares | 58,054 hectares | 58,540 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 55,945 hectares | 55,030 hectares | 58,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 55,215 hectares | 55,150 hectares | 55,280 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
- 167 Micronesia (country) 64,570 hectares compare
- 168 Iceland 61,480 hectares compare
- 169 Dominica 57,350 hectares compare
- 171 Martinique 52,670 hectares compare
- 172 Cape Verde 51,060 hectares compare
- 173 Palau 41,870 hectares compare
More environment data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -16.99 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -12.85 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.214 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.16 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.4 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 2.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Forest area in Sao Tome and Principe was 55,280 hectares in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 59,070 hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 55,030 hectares in 2015.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for forest area?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 170th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Forest area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems.