Population figures
Total country population
236,381
Forcibly displaced population
Refugees (under UNHCR's mandate):
0
Asylum-seekers:
0
IDPs (of concern to UNHCR):
0
Other people in need of international protection:
0
Other
Statelessness persons
0
Host community
0
Others of concern to UNHCR
0
Country context
São Tomé and Príncipe is an island state in the Gulf of Guinea, located off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa, east of Nigeria and northwest of Gabon, comprising two main volcanic islands and several islets.
No refugees or asylum-seekers were formally registered in the country, and those identified were documented under UNHCR’s regional operation in Gabon, residing within urban host communities rather than in camps or settlements. Stateless individuals, though few, live alongside other foreign-national groups in coastal towns, holding temporary identity papers under ordinary immigration rules.
...The country acceded to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol in 1986, thereby accepting the core international standards for asylum protection; however, no domestic law has been enacted to establish national procedures for status determination or appeal. Asylum-seekers identified on arrival are referred to UNHCR for eligibility assessment under the UNHCR mandate.
Following their pledge to promote regional advocacy for the rights of refugees, stateless and internally displaced people at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, Sao Tome and Principe ratified in 2024 four Conventions: the 1969 OAU Convention, the 2009 Kampala Convention; the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness in 2024. This significant initiative is a testament to the State's willingness to establish adequate legal frameworks that ensures the rights of forcibly displaced and stateless persons and provide a robust foundation for collaborative efforts to support the national systems.
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Sources: UNHCR Refugee Data finder https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/ | 2023 year end figures. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects 2022, Online Edition https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/ | Mid-year 2024 population estimates