Sao Tome and Principe
Digital snapshot – key policies and laws
São Tomé and Príncipe’s digital governance is still a foundation-building process, but it now has a clearer institutional base. The National Digital Governance Strategy, approved through Resolution No. 35/2020/CM, sets the e-government direction, while INIC’s official strategy page brings together the country’s digital-governance, cybersecurity, AI-readiness and data-governance documents. In the UN 2024 E-Government Survey, São Tomé and Príncipe remains in the lower half of global digital-government performance, which underlines that implementation, not only strategy, is the main challenge.
Connectivity is the central constraint and the central enabler. At the start of 2025, the country had 146,000 internet users, equal to 61.5% of the population, and about 170,000 mobile connections, or 71.4% of the population, showing a connected majority but also a sizeable offline public. International resilience rests heavily on the ACE submarine cable, which gave São Tomé and Príncipe its first direct international submarine-cable connection, while newer cable listings point to limited additional regional diversity.
The National Cybersecurity Strategy and its action plan are structured around priority programmes and concrete initiatives, with INIC presenting the strategy as a step for digital sovereignty and resilience. Personal data protection is anchored in Law No. 03/2016 and supervised by the ANPDP, giving the country a legal basis for privacy, lawful processing and oversight as public services and identity systems move online.
The digital economy depends on adjacent frameworks such as data protection, cybercrime rules, consumer protection, telecom regulation and payment-system modernisation. The Central Bank’s payments infrastructure includes the domestic Dobra24 network for ATMs, POS and cards, while African Development Bank support has targeted payment-system infrastructure and financial inclusion.
AI and cloud policy are still preparatory rather than fully regulated UNESCO’s AI governance profile says the country has no national AI strategy, no AI-specific law and no dedicated AI governance structure, although INIC hosts a 2025 AI-readiness assessment as a baseline for future policy. On cloud, no standalone national cloud strategy was found; the most visible approach is INIC’s local hosting, VPS, gov.st domain, institutional email, VPN and infrastructure services, framed around national hosting, security and sovereignty.
Sao Tome and Principe’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva:
The Permanent Mission of São Tomé and Príncipe to the UN Office and other international organisations in Geneva represents the country in Geneva’s multilateral system, including UN bodies and specialised agencies dealing with human rights, health, labour, trade, development, humanitarian affairs and digital cooperation. Through its Geneva presence, São Tomé and Príncipe advances the priorities of a small island developing state, including sustainable development, climate resilience, international cooperation, inclusive growth and stronger participation in global governance. The mission is headed by Permanent Representative Abigail Tiny Cosme Bonfim and is based in Geneva.
Official UNOG website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/sao-tome-and-principe
EMBASSY AND PERMANENT MISSION TO THE UN – GENEVA
Consult Sao Tome and Principe‘s digital strategies and regulations
Here you can explore the country’s main digital strategies, laws, and regulations by simply asking the chatbot, which is designed to help you quickly find relevant documents and understand the country’s digital policy landscape.
Main digital policies and regulations in the country:
- National Digital Governance Strategy
- Estratégia Nacional de Cibersegurança de São Tomé e Príncipe
- National Sustainable Development Strategy 2026–2040
Follow Sao Tome and Principe’s digital submarine cables
The data is sourced from reputable international agencies and organizations. Hover over each field for source information and explanations.
General profile
Official name: Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
National internet domain: ST
Area: 1,001 km2
Capital: São Tomé
Population: 231.9 thousand
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Population growth: 1.95
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Life expectancy at birth: 68.79
Total years (Estimate for 2022)The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Rule of law estimate: -0.61
Rule of Law captures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5 (Estimate for 2023)
Regulatory quality estimate: -0.89
Political stability: 0.61
Economic info
Currency: São Tomé and Príncipe dobra
Unemployment (%): 8.81
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
GDP (current US$): 603.2 million
GDP growth (annual %): -0.47
GDP per capita (current US$): 2.6 thousand
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 21.26
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Digital profile
Internet and social media penetration:
Individuals using the internet, total (%): 56.99
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Social media users: 63.1 thousand
Estimate for 2024Male internet users (%): No data
Male internet users as a % of total male population.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Facebook users: 63.1 thousand
Estimate for 2024Female internet users (%): No data
Female Internet users as a % of total female population.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Instagram users: 8.1 thousand
Estimate for 2024Households with internet access at home (%): 60.78
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Linkedin users: 11.0 thousand
Estimate for 2024Fixed broadband subscriptions: 2.50
Total fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
X users: 1.0 thousand
Estimate for 2024Mobile infrastructure and access:
Mobile ownership (%): No data
Mobile phone ownership as a % of total population (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Infrastructure: No data
Mobile Infrastructure index: High-performance mobile internet coverage availability. It includes parameters such as network coverage, performance, quality of supporting infrastructure and amount of spectrum assigned to mobile network operators (Estimate for 2023)Gender gap in mobile internet (%): No data
This metric evaluates the disparity in mobile internet access between genders. (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Affordability: No data
Mobile Affordability index : The availability of mobile services and devices at price points that reflect the level of income across a national population. It includes parameters such as mobile tariffs, headset prices, taxation and inequality (Estimate for 2023)Gender gap in mobile ownership (%): No data
Represents the disparity between genders in owning mobile devices. (Estimate for 2023)Top-Level Domains (TLDs) per person: No data
Number of generic and country Top Level Domains per person Estimate for 2023.Network performance: No data
Network performance index: Quality of mobile services measured by download speed, upload speed and latencies (Estimate for 2023)Mobile download speeds: No data
Mobile download speeds: Average download speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2023)Mobile uploads speeds: No data
Mobile uploads speeds: average uploads speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Latencies: No data
Mobile Latencies: Average latency for mobile users (originally in milliseconds) (Estimate for 2023)Network Coverage (%): No data
Network coverage (% of total population) (Estimate for 2023)2G Coverage (%): No data
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)3G Coverage (%): No data
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)4G Coverage (%): No data
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)5G Coverage (%): No data
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)Operating system and browser market share estimate
Operating system market share (%):
Desktop, Tablet & Console Operating System Market Share: Estimate for 2024Browser market share (%):
Browser Market Share Worldwide: Estimate for 2024Android: 39.15
Chrome: 60.69
Win10: 28.89
Safari: 1.56
iOS: 2.37
Edge: 31.24
OS X: 8.14
Firefox: 0.72
Win11: 11.61
Samsung Internet: 1.26
The UN E-Government Survey
The UN E-Government Survey is the assessment of the digital government landscape across all UN member states. The E-Government Survey is informed by over two decades of longitudinal research, with a ranking of countries based on the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies.E-Government Rank: 154
Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies. Estimate gives the country's rank.E-Government Index: 0.43
The EGDI is a composite measure of three important dimensions of e-government, namely: provision of online services, telecommunication connectivity and human capacity. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.E-Participation Index: 0.16
The E-Participation Index (EPI) is derived as a supplementary index to the United Nations E-Government Survey. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Online Service Index: 0.21
The online services index was developed by the UN to evaluate the scope and quality of government online services. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Human Capital Index: 0.59
The Human Capital Index (HCI) quantiï¬es the contribution of health and education to the productivity of the next generation of workers. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Telecommunication Infrastructure Index: 0.48
Telecommunication Infrastructure Index- Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) Composite Indicator that measures the countries' Telecommunication infrastructure readiness to adopt the opportunities offered by Information and Communication Technology as to enhance their competitiveness. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Government AI Readiness Index
Ranking: 160
Global Ranking is calculated based on the total score. (Estimate for 2024).Total: 29.63
The total score is calculated by taking the arithmetic mean of each dimension, followed by the arithmetic mean of each pillar. The final score is the arithmetic mean of the three pillars, with all indicators, dimensions, and pillars weighted equally. (Estimate for 2024).Government: 24.82
This pillar evaluates a government's readiness and capability to implement AI responsibly and effectively. It includes several dimensions: the presence of a national AI strategy (Vision), regulations for data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity, along with ethical frameworks and accountability measures (Governance and Ethics). It also considers the existing IT infrastructure, online services, and promotion of emerging technology investments (Digital Capacity). Finally, it assesses the government’s ability to change and innovate effectively, including responsiveness to change, effectiveness, and use of procurement data (Adaptability). (Estimate for 2024).Technology Sector: 23.69
This pillar assesses the country's technology sector and its ability to support AI implementation. It includes the maturity of the sector, measured by metrics such as the number of AI and non-AI unicorns, value of trade in ICT services and goods, and spending on computer software (Maturity). It also evaluates the sector's capacity for innovation, considering factors like time spent dealing with regulations, availability of venture capital, R&D spending, company investment in emerging technology, and research papers published in AI (Innovation Capacity). Additionally, it examines the availability of skills within the population, focusing on STEM graduates, GitHub users, female STEM graduates, quality of engineering education, and ICT skills (Human Capital). (Estimate for 2024).Data and Infrastructure: 40.39
This pillar evaluates a country’s technological and data infrastructure to support AI implementation. It examines the quality of technological infrastructure, including telecommunications, supercomputing capabilities, broadband quality, 5G infrastructure, and the adoption of emerging technologies (Infrastructure). It also assesses the availability of data for training AI models, considering factors such as open data, data governance, mobile-cellular subscriptions, household internet access, and statistical capacity (Data Availability). Additionally, it considers the representativeness of the available data, focusing on metrics like the gender gap in internet access and the affordability of internet-enabled devices relative to GDP per capita (Data Representativeness). (Estimate for 2024).