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Freedom of expression index in Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe: Freedom of expression index was 0.793 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.793
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
66th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.836
in 2019
All-time low
0.149
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Freedom of expression index in Sao Tome and Principe, 1900–2025

0.20.40.60.8190019622025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Sao Tome and Principe recorded 0.793 for freedom of expression index in 2025.

That represents a change of down 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 0.836 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.149, in 1900.

Sao Tome and Principe ranks 66th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Freedom of expression index in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.149 —
1901 0.149 +0.0%
1902 0.149 +0.0%
1903 0.149 +0.0%
1904 0.149 +0.0%
1905 0.149 +0.0%
1906 0.149 +0.0%
1907 0.149 +0.0%
1908 0.149 +0.0%
1909 0.149 +0.0%
1910 0.149 +0.0%
1911 0.227 +52.3%
1912 0.227 +0.0%
1913 0.227 +0.0%
1914 0.227 +0.0%
1915 0.227 +0.0%
1916 0.227 +0.0%
1917 0.227 +0.0%
1918 0.227 +0.0%
1919 0.227 +0.0%
1920 0.227 +0.0%
1921 0.227 +0.0%
1922 0.227 +0.0%
1923 0.227 +0.0%
1924 0.227 +0.0%
1925 0.227 +0.0%
1926 0.223 -1.8%
1927 0.165 -26.0%
1928 0.165 +0.0%
1929 0.165 +0.0%
1930 0.165 +0.0%
1931 0.165 +0.0%
1932 0.165 +0.0%
1933 0.165 +0.0%
1934 0.165 +0.0%
1935 0.165 +0.0%
1936 0.165 +0.0%
1937 0.165 +0.0%
1938 0.165 +0.0%
1939 0.165 +0.0%
1940 0.173 +4.8%
1941 0.173 +0.0%
1942 0.173 +0.0%
1943 0.173 +0.0%
1944 0.173 +0.0%
1945 0.173 +0.0%
1946 0.173 +0.0%
1947 0.173 +0.0%
1948 0.173 +0.0%
1949 0.173 +0.0%
1950 0.173 +0.0%
1951 0.173 +0.0%
1952 0.173 +0.0%
1953 0.156 -9.8%
1954 0.174 +11.5%
1955 0.174 +0.0%
1956 0.174 +0.0%
1957 0.174 +0.0%
1958 0.174 +0.0%
1959 0.174 +0.0%
1960 0.174 +0.0%
1961 0.174 +0.0%
1962 0.174 +0.0%
1963 0.174 +0.0%
1964 0.174 +0.0%
1965 0.174 +0.0%
1966 0.174 +0.0%
1967 0.174 +0.0%
1968 0.174 +0.0%
1969 0.174 +0.0%
1970 0.174 +0.0%
1971 0.174 +0.0%
1972 0.174 +0.0%
1973 0.174 +0.0%
1974 0.18 +3.4%
1975 0.309 +71.7%
1976 0.312 +1.0%
1977 0.312 +0.0%
1978 0.312 +0.0%
1979 0.312 +0.0%
1980 0.312 +0.0%
1981 0.312 +0.0%
1982 0.312 +0.0%
1983 0.312 +0.0%
1984 0.312 +0.0%
1985 0.312 +0.0%
1986 0.312 +0.0%
1987 0.312 +0.0%
1988 0.312 +0.0%
1989 0.312 +0.0%
1990 0.702 +125.0%
1991 0.72 +2.6%
1992 0.786 +9.2%
1993 0.804 +2.3%
1994 0.804 +0.0%
1995 0.804 +0.0%
1996 0.804 +0.0%
1997 0.807 +0.4%
1998 0.807 +0.0%
1999 0.807 +0.0%
2000 0.807 +0.0%
2001 0.807 +0.0%
2002 0.807 +0.0%
2003 0.807 +0.0%
2004 0.808 +0.1%
2005 0.812 +0.5%
2006 0.812 +0.0%
2007 0.812 +0.0%
2008 0.812 +0.0%
2009 0.812 +0.0%
2010 0.823 +1.4%
2011 0.823 +0.0%
2012 0.823 +0.0%
2013 0.823 +0.0%
2014 0.823 +0.0%
2015 0.823 +0.0%
2016 0.823 +0.0%
2017 0.824 +0.1%
2018 0.814 -1.2%
2019 0.836 +2.7%
2020 0.819 -2.0%
2021 0.818 -0.1%
2022 0.813 -0.6%
2023 0.805 -1.0%
2024 0.793 -1.5%
2025 0.793 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.149 0.149 0.149 10
1910s 0.2192 0.149 0.227 10
1920s 0.208 0.165 0.227 10
1930s 0.165 0.165 0.165 10
1940s 0.173 0.173 0.173 10
1950s 0.1719 0.156 0.174 10
1960s 0.174 0.174 0.174 10
1970s 0.2433 0.174 0.312 10
1980s 0.312 0.312 0.312 10
1990s 0.7845 0.702 0.807 10
2000s 0.8096 0.807 0.812 10
2010s 0.8235 0.814 0.836 10
2020s 0.8068 0.793 0.819 6

Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe

  1. 64 Haiti 0.799 compare
  2. 65 Botswana 0.798 compare
  3. 67 Zambia 0.778 compare
  4. 68 Romania 0.777 compare
  5. 69 Guyana 0.771 compare
  6. 69 Mongolia 0.771 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Sao Tome and Principe

All data for Sao Tome and Principe →

Frequently asked questions

What is freedom of expression index in Sao Tome and Principe?
Freedom of expression index in Sao Tome and Principe was 0.793 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
The highest recorded value was 0.836 in 2019.
What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
The lowest recorded value was 0.149 in 1900.
How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for freedom of expression index?
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 66th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of expression index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Freedom of expression index in Sao Tome and Principe. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/freedom-of-expression-index/sao-tome-and-principe/

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About this data

Indicator
Freedom of expression index
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,035 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed