Sao Tome and Principe — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Sao Tome and Principe, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Sao Tome and Principe was 9.13% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 17.63% in 2002. The lowest was 8.71% in 2018 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.35% per year.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 44 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 24%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Sao Tome and Principe sits above it. It peaked in 2002 and has fallen 48% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 14%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 15 of 47 economies; Equatorial Guinea (8.34%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 12% in 2002.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 29th of 187 in 1991 → 30th of 187 in 2000 → 28th of 187 in 2010 → 56th of 187 in 2020 → 40th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9.13% | +0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 9.06% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 9.03% | +0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 8.96% | -0.6 pp |
| 2021 | 9.56% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 9.68% | +0.8 pp |
| 2019 | 8.84% | +0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 8.71% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 8.81% | -0.9 pp |
| 2016 | 9.68% | -0.9 pp |
| 2015 | 10.59% | -0.8 pp |
| 2014 | 11.43% | -1.0 pp |
| 2013 | 12.48% | -1.1 pp |
| 2012 | 13.59% | -0.6 pp |
| 2011 | 14.23% | -0.4 pp |
| 2010 | 14.63% | -0.5 pp |
| 2009 | 15.14% | -0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 15.42% | -0.6 pp |
| 2007 | 16.02% | -0.6 pp |
| 2006 | 16.65% | +0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 16.47% | +0.3 pp |
| 2004 | 16.12% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 16.36% | -1.3 pp |
| 2002 | 17.63% | +1.9 pp |
| 2001 | 15.73% | +1.3 pp |
| 2000 | 14.4% | +0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 14.35% | -0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 14.4% | -0.0 pp |
| 1997 | 14.41% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 14.33% | -0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 14.34% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 14.41% | -0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 14.46% | -0.2 pp |
| 1992 | 14.65% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 14.49% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Sao Tome and Principe’s Unemployment in 1992?
14.65% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Sao Tome and Principe’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -37.0% in total — about 1.3% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 9.13%; 2024: 9.06%; 2023: 9.03%; 2022: 8.96%; 2021: 9.56%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.