São Tomé and Principe's electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) was 5.85% in 2021, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 85.22 percentage points from 91.08% in 2011.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 5.85% | 2021 |
| Five years earlier | 5.46% | 2016 |
| Ten years earlier | 91.08% | 2011 |
| Highest | 91.69% | 2012 |
| Lowest | 4.6% | 2017 |
| Average since 2012 | 23.13% | 2012–2021 |
| First recorded | 20.63% | 2000 |
What the numbers say
In 2021, São Tomé and Principe's electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) rose 0.33 percentage points on 2020 (from 5.52% to 5.85%).
Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2020), the average change was −0.76 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 23.69 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 60.82 percentage points in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 82.26 percentage points in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is downward, about 8.49 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 51% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2021, São Tomé and Principe had the 24th highest value of the 80 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| São Tomé and Principe | 5.85% | 2021 |
| World | 15.23% | 2025 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 29.92% | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | 15.06% | 2024 |
Closest to São Tomé and Principe in the 2021 ranking
- New Caledonia — 20th of 80: 14.6%
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 21st of 80: 13.39%
- Vanuatu — 22nd of 80: 10.73%
- Kosovo — 24th of 80: 4.31%
- Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 25th of 80: 1.42%
- Solomon Islands — 26th of 80: 0.86%
What this measures
The share of electricity production from hydroelectric sources of total electricity production. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Hydropower refers to electricity produced by hydroelectric power plants.
Limitations: IEA occasionally revises its time series to reflect political changes. For example, the IEA has constructed historical energy statistics for countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition, energy statistics for other countries have undergone continuous changes in coverage or methodology in recent years as more detailed energy accounts have become available. Breaks in series are therefore unavoidable.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average using total electricity production as weights.
All 22 values
| Year | Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 5.85 |
| 2020 | 5.52 |
| 2019 | 5.37 |
| 2018 | 5.2 |
| 2017 | 4.6 |
| 2016 | 5.46 |
| 2015 | 6.54 |
| 2014 | 9.41 |
| 2013 | 91.67 |
| 2012 | 91.69 |
| 2011 |
Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) in nearby economies
- Angola — 73.06% (2024)
- Benin — 0.00622% (2021)
- Botswana — 0% (2021)
- Burkina Faso — 4.1% (2024)
- Burundi — 59.57% (2021)
- Cabo Verde — 0% (2021)
- Cameroon — 85.32% (2024)
- Central African Republic — 96.18% (2021)
- Chad
More environment data for São Tomé and Principe
- Rural population — 74,065 (2025)
- Rural population (% of total population) — 30.83% (2025)
- Urban population — 166,189 (2025)
- Urban population (% of total population) — 69.17% (2025)
- Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 0 (2024)
- Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 5,730 (2024)
- Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 5,730 (2024)
- Rural population growth (annual %) — 1.01% (2025)
- Urban population growth (annual %) — 2.42% (2025)
- Agricultural land (sq. km)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is São Tomé and Principe's electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total)?
- 5.85% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2000?
- It is down 14.78 percentage points from 20.63% in 2000. The highest value was 91.69% in 2012 and the lowest 4.6% in 2017.
- How does São Tomé and Principe rank?
- 24th highest of 80 economies with data for 2021.
- Is the latest change in electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) unusual for São Tomé and Principe?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EG.ELC.HYRO.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser, publisher: International Energy Agency (IEA), date accessed: 2025-03-25 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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