Share of land area that is protected in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Share of land area that is protected was 31.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of land area that is protected in Sao Tome and Principe, 2013–2025
Source: Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of land area that is protected in Sao Tome and Principe is 31.7%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 31.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2013.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 31st of 213 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Share of land area that is protected in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 0.0% | — |
| 2014 | 0.0% | — |
| 2015 | 29.3% | — |
| 2016 | 29.3% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 29.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 29.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 29.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 29.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 29.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 29.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 29.3% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 31.7% | +8.2% |
| 2025 | 31.7% | +0.0% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 31.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.8%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 31.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 20.9% | 0.0% | 29.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 30.1% | 29.3% | 31.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
More reference data data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0038 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.006 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0003 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0126 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.014 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0319 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0601 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0015 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area that is protected in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Share of land area that is protected in Sao Tome and Principe was 31.7% in 2025, according to Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area that is protected recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 31.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2013.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for share of land area that is protected?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 31st out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area that is protected. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Terrestrial protected areas are areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities in order to preserve their ecosystem services and cultural values.