Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 78.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Sao Tome and Principe, 2000–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Sao Tome and Principe is 78.9%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 81.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 64.0%, in 2001.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 192nd out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 64.1% | — |
| 2001 | 64.0% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 64.6% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 65.2% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 65.7% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 66.4% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 67.0% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 67.6% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 68.3% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 69.8% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 69.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 70.4% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 65.3% | -7.2% |
| 2013 | 71.8% | +10.0% |
| 2014 | 75.8% | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 73.0% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 73.7% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 73.5% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 76.7% | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 77.6% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 78.8% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 80.0% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 80.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 81.9% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 78.9% | -3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 66.3% | 64.0% | 69.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.8% | 65.3% | 77.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.9% | 78.8% | 81.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
More energy & mining data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 11.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 29.3% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Sao Tome and Principe was 78.9% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 81.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.0% in 2001.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 192nd out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The definition used in international statistics adopts a very low cutoff for what it means to ‘have access to electricity’. It is defined as having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.