Land use in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Land use was 42,000 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
42,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
168th
of 224 countries
All-time high
42,000 hectares
in 2021
All-time low
26,000 hectares
in 1997
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Sao Tome and Principe, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Sao Tome and Principe recorded 42,000 hectares for land use in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 23.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 42,000 hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 26,000 hectares, in 1997.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 168th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 34,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 34,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 34,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 34,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 35,000 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 36,000 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 32,000 hectares | -11.1% |
| 1983 | 33,000 hectares | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 28,000 hectares | -15.2% |
| 1985 | 29,000 hectares | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 29,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 29,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 30,000 hectares | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 29,000 hectares | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 28,000 hectares | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 29,000 hectares | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 29,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 29,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 30,000 hectares | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 27,000 hectares | -10.0% |
| 1996 | 27,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 26,000 hectares | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 30,000 hectares | +15.4% |
| 1999 | 34,000 hectares | +13.3% |
| 2000 | 35,000 hectares | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 34,000 hectares | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 33,000 hectares | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 33,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 33,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 33,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 33,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 32,000 hectares | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 33,000 hectares | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 34,000 hectares | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 34,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 36,000 hectares | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 39,000 hectares | +8.3% |
| 2017 | 40,000 hectares | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 41,000 hectares | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 41,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 41,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 42,000 hectares | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 42,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 42,000 hectares | +0.0% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 42,000 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 1% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 42,000 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 1% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 34,556 hectares | 34,000 hectares | 35,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 35,900 hectares | 35,000 hectares | 36,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 31,100 hectares | 28,000 hectares | 36,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 28,900 hectares | 26,000 hectares | 34,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 33,900 hectares | 33,000 hectares | 35,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 36,600 hectares | 32,000 hectares | 41,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 41,750 hectares | 41,000 hectares | 42,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
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)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Land use in Sao Tome and Principe was 42,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 42,000 hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 26,000 hectares in 1997.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for land use?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 168th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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