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

Latest (2025)
31.7%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
31st
of 213 countries
All-time high
31.7%
in 2024
All-time low
0.0%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

Share of land area that is protected in Sao Tome and Principe, 2013–2025

01020302013201920252013: 0 % of total land area2014: 0 % of total land area2015: 29.3 % of total land area2016: 29.3 % of total land area2017: 29.3 % of total land area2018: 29.3 % of total land area2019: 29.3 % of total land area2020: 29.3 % of total land area2021: 29.3 % of total land area2022: 29.3 % of total land area2023: 29.3 % of total land area2024: 31.7 % of total land area2025: 31.7 % of total land area

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 20.9% 0.0% 29.3% 7
2020s 30.1% 29.3% 31.7% 6

Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe

  1. 28 Bahamas 34.6% compare
  2. 29 Comoros 33.7% compare
  3. 30 New Zealand 33.4% compare
  4. 32 Palau 31.4% compare
  5. 32 Panama 31.4% compare
  6. 34 Bolivia 30.9% compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More reference data data for Sao Tome and Principe

All data for Sao Tome and Principe →

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

Indicator
Share of land area that is protected
Unit
% of total land area
Source
Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
213 places, 2,746 data points, 2013–2025
Last refreshed

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.