Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 2.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sao Tome and Principe, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sao Tome and Principe is 2.0%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of down 9.1% on the previous year and down 76.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 36.1% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2025.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 146th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 34.3% | — |
| 2001 | 35.9% | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 36.1% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 33.0% | -8.6% |
| 2004 | 26.9% | -18.5% |
| 2005 | 21.3% | -20.8% |
| 2006 | 15.8% | -25.8% |
| 2007 | 14.5% | -8.2% |
| 2008 | 12.6% | -13.1% |
| 2009 | 10.5% | -16.7% |
| 2010 | 8.6% | -18.1% |
| 2011 | 7.7% | -10.5% |
| 2012 | 7.8% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 8.5% | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 8.9% | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 8.6% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 7.6% | -11.6% |
| 2017 | 6.4% | -15.8% |
| 2018 | 5.4% | -15.6% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -14.8% |
| 2020 | 3.9% | -15.2% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | -17.9% |
| 2022 | 2.8% | -12.5% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -10.7% |
| 2024 | 2.2% | -12.0% |
| 2025 | 2.0% | -9.1% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 2.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.2%, 15% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 2.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.2%, 6% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 24.1% | 10.5% | 36.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 4.6% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.0% | 3.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
- 143 Iran, Islamic Republic of 2.1% compare
- 143 Italy 2.1% compare
- 143 Slovakia 2.1% compare
- 146 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2.0% compare
- 148 Turks and Caicos Islands 1.9% compare
- 148 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 1.9% compare
More education data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 936 (2016)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 4,544 (2017)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4,458 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4,769 (2016)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25,875 (2017)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 37,172 (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.14 % change on previous year (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1796 units per person (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sao Tome and Principe was 2.0% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 36.1% in 2002.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2025.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 146th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 76.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, female (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release