International tourism, number of arrivals in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: International tourism, number of arrivals was 33,400 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, number of arrivals in Sao Tome and Principe, 1995–2018
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
Sao Tome and Principe recorded 33,400 for international tourism, number of arrivals in 2018. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of up 15.6% on the previous year and up 130.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of arrivals in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 33,400 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 4,800, in 1997.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 188th out of 201 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, number of arrivals in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 6,200 | — |
| 1996 | 6,400 | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 4,800 | -25.0% |
| 1998 | 5,600 | +16.7% |
| 1999 | 5,800 | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 7,100 | +22.4% |
| 2001 | 7,500 | +5.6% |
| 2002 | 9,200 | +22.7% |
| 2003 | 10,000 | +8.7% |
| 2004 | 10,600 | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 15,800 | +49.1% |
| 2006 | 12,300 | -22.2% |
| 2007 | 11,800 | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 14,500 | +22.9% |
| 2009 | 15,200 | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 8,000 | -47.4% |
| 2011 | 12,200 | +52.5% |
| 2015 | 25,600 | +109.8% |
| 2016 | 28,900 | +12.9% |
| 2017 | 28,900 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 33,400 | +15.6% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 33,400 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 570,500, 6% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 33,400 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 345,300, 10% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, number of arrivals 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +109.8% | 12,200 | 25,600 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5,760 | 4,800 | 6,400 | 5 |
| 2000s | 11,400 | 7,100 | 15,800 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22,833 | 8,000 | 33,400 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
- 185 Guinea-Bissau 52,400 compare
- 186 Bermuda 51,400 compare
- 187 Papua New Guinea 39,000 compare
- 189 New Caledonia 31,000 compare
- 190 Bhutan 29,800 compare
- 191 Moldova 29,000 compare
More private sector data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Merchandise trade 22.5% (2025)
- Food imports 31.8% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 37.1% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 183.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 231.13 million current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 98.2% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 1.5% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 38.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 105.01 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 158.17 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in Sao Tome and Principe?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in Sao Tome and Principe was 33,400 in 2018, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 33,400 in 2018.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,800 in 1997.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 188th out of 201 countries with data for 2018.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 130.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, number of arrivals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.