São Tomé and Principe's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) was 13.07% in 2017, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 13.07% | 2017 |
| Highest | 25.04% | 2002 |
| Lowest | 0.49% | 1984 |
| Average since 2017 | 13.07% | 2017–2017 |
| First recorded | 0.71% | 1979 |
Since 1979 it is up 12.36 percentage points from 0.71% in 1979. The World Bank has no value for 25 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.
What the numbers say
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 7.13 percentage points in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.23 percentage points in 2004. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| São Tomé and Principe | 13.07% | 2017 |
| Lower middle income | 4.65% | 2024 |
Closest to São Tomé and Principe in the 2017 ranking
- Algeria — 1st of 3: 20.71%
- Liechtenstein — 3rd of 3: 1.81%
What this measures
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.
Limitations: The criteria for people considered to be seeking work, and the treatment of people temporarily laid off or seeking work for the first time, vary across countries. In many cases it is especially difficult to measure employment and unemployment in agriculture. The timing of a survey can maximize the effects of seasonal unemployment in agriculture. And informal sector employment is difficult to quantify where informal activities are not tracked.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 14 values
| Year | Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 13.07 |
| 2016 | no data |
| 2015 | no data |
| 2014 | no data |
| 2013 | no data |
| 2012 | no data |
| 2011 | no data |
| 2010 | no data |
| 2009 | no data |
| 2008 | no data |
| 2007 |
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies
More social protection & labor data for São Tomé and Principe
- Net migration — -650 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 19.81% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 22.71% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 21.24% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 22.76% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 24.09% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is São Tomé and Principe's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate)?
- 13.07% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1979?
- It is up 12.36 percentage points from 0.71% in 1979. The highest value was 25.04% in 2002 and the lowest 0.49% in 1984.
- Where does this data come from?
- The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.FE.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 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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