Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates was 95.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Sao Tome and Principe, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Sao Tome and Principe is 95.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 96.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 78.0%, in 1992.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 9th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 78.4% | — |
| 1991 | 78.2% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 78.0% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 78.1% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 78.4% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 79.0% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 79.9% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 81.1% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 82.6% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 84.6% | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 86.7% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 88.0% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 88.5% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 89.0% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 89.4% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 89.7% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 89.9% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 89.8% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 89.6% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 89.5% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 89.6% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 90.0% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 89.7% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 89.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 90.2% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 91.1% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 92.5% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 94.2% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 96.3% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 96.0% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 96.8% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 95.8% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 95.2% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 94.8% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 95.0% | +0.2% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 95.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 77.8%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 95.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 86.1%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 79.8% | 78.0% | 84.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 89.0% | 86.7% | 89.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.3% | 89.6% | 96.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.6% | 94.8% | 96.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
- 6 Nigeria 95.7% compare
- 7 Solomon Islands 95.5% compare
- 8 Papua New Guinea 95.4% compare
- 10 Madagascar 94.1% compare
- 11 United States Virgin Islands 93.9% compare
- 12 Congo 93.5% compare
More work & labour data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.2544 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.2707 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2382 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0643 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.73 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 323.75 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 56 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 271.01 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 263 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 534.01 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Sao Tome and Principe was 95.0% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 96.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.0% in 1992.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 9th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This ratio is calculated by dividing the labor force participation rate among women by the corresponding rate for men. The labor force participation rate is the share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).