Literacy Rate: São Tomé and Príncipe

Analysis# São Tomé and Príncipe Literacy Rate São Tomé and Príncipe's literacy rate stood at 87.44% in 2019, reflecting substantial educational progress since 1981 when only 57.32% of the population could read and write. The nation achieved its all-time peak of 90.14% in 2012, making the slight decline to 87.44% a minor deviation from peak performance. Over the full 38-year span, the country gained 30.12 percentage points—a 52.5% total improvement in literacy capacity. The decades following 1981 reveal steady momentum: literacy rose from 57.32% (1981) to 73.24% (1991), then accelerated to 84.91% (2001) before plateauing around 87–90% through 2019. This deceleration pattern suggests the nation has already absorbed the easiest gains from primary education expansion. While the recent dip from 2012's peak warrants monitoring, the sustained 87% threshold indicates a consolidated foundation for literacy across the population.