São Tomé and Principe: Secondary education, pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, São Tomé and Principe's secondary education, pupils rose 11.4% on 2016 (from 23,232 to 25,875).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was +12.7% and a typical year strayed about 9.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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 29.2% in 1983 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.3% in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2,033 a year. A straight line explains 98% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to São Tomé and Principe in the 2017 ranking

• Panama — 2nd of 5: 311,983
• Central African Republic — 3rd of 5: 137,844
• Lesotho — 4th of 5: 136,497

What this measures

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 24 values

Secondary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Angola — 2.59 million (2023)
• Benin — 929,099 (2022)
• Botswana — 175,513 (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 1.19 million (2024)
• Burundi — 590,027 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 55,831 (2022)
• Cameroon — 2.01 million (2023)
• Central African Republic — 137,844 (2017)
• Chad — 764,990 (2024)
• Comoros — 67,764 (2022)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 7.93 million (2023)

More education data for São Tomé and Principe

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 37,172 (2017)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 110.38% (2017)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) — 1.38% (2017)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.97 (2017)
• Primary education, pupils (% female)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is São Tomé and Principe's secondary education, pupils?

25,875 in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 1,450% from 1,669 in 1971 (6.14% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 25,875 in 2017 and the lowest 1,669 in 1971.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils unusual for São Tomé and Principe?

In 2017, São Tomé and Principe's secondary education, pupils rose 11.4% on 2016 (from 23,232 to 25,875). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was +12.7% and a typical year strayed about 9.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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.

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