Age of electoral democracy in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Age of electoral democracy was 35 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Sao Tome and Principe, 1991–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of electoral democracy in Sao Tome and Principe is 35 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 40.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 35 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1991.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 49th out of 111 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of electoral democracy in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1 years | — |
| 1992 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1993 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1994 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1995 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1996 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1997 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1998 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1999 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2000 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2001 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2002 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2003 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2004 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2005 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 35 years | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 years | 1 years | 9 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.5 years | 10 years | 19 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.5 years | 20 years | 29 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.5 years | 30 years | 35 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
- 49 Cape Verde 35 years compare
- 49 Colombia 35 years compare
- 49 Germany 35 years compare
- 49 Panama 35 years compare
- 49 Papua New Guinea 35 years compare
More social development data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8 (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 60 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of electoral democracy in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Age of electoral democracy in Sao Tome and Principe was 35 years in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 35 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1991.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 49th out of 111 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.