Age of full democracy in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Age of full democracy was 16 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in Sao Tome and Principe, 2010–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sao Tome and Principe recorded 16 years for age of full democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.7% on the previous year and up 166.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 16 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 2010.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 76th of 89 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of full democracy in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 years | — |
| 2011 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2012 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2013 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2014 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2016 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2017 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2018 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2019 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2020 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2021 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2022 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2023 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2024 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2025 | 16 years | +6.7% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 16 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 27 years, 59% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 16 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24 years, 67% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy in Sao Tome and Principe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5.5 years | 1 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5 years | 11 years | 16 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
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 full democracy in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Age of full democracy in Sao Tome and Principe was 16 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 16 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 2010.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for age of full democracy?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 76th out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 166.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of full democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a full democracy.