Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary was 110.4% in 2017. ▼ Falling
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sao Tome and Principe, 1971–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2017, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sao Tome and Principe stood at 110.4%.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 155.7% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 100.2%, in 1999.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 40th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 101.4% | — |
| 1972 | 111.7% | +10.2% |
| 1973 | 131.7% | +17.9% |
| 1974 | 104.1% | -20.9% |
| 1975 | 105.4% | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 133.7% | +26.8% |
| 1977 | 113.8% | -14.9% |
| 1978 | 128.5% | +12.9% |
| 1980 | 154.0% | +19.8% |
| 1981 | 155.7% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 151.3% | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 143.4% | -5.2% |
| 1984 | 136.1% | -5.1% |
| 1985 | 131.9% | -3.1% |
| 1987 | 129.9% | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 134.1% | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 141.4% | +5.4% |
| 1991 | 144.2% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 148.1% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 134.6% | -9.1% |
| 1998 | 126.0% | -6.4% |
| 1999 | 100.2% | -20.5% |
| 2002 | 120.2% | +20.0% |
| 2003 | 122.3% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 123.6% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 125.5% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 122.6% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 122.4% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 122.3% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 119.3% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 119.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 111.3% | -6.7% |
| 2013 | 110.6% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 106.9% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 107.8% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 108.7% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 110.4% | +1.6% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 110.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 110.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 116.3% | 101.4% | 133.7% | 8 |
| 1980s | 142.1% | 129.9% | 155.7% | 8 |
| 1990s | 132.4% | 100.2% | 148.1% | 6 |
| 2000s | 122.7% | 120.2% | 125.5% | 7 |
| 2010s | 111.8% | 106.9% | 119.3% | 8 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sao Tome and Principe was 110.4% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 155.7% in 1981.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 100.2% in 1999.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 40th out of 217 countries with data for 2017.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.