São Tomé scores 65 out of 100 (high safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 3949 of 6168 cities worldwide. The score combines the homicide rate, nearby conflict deaths, income equality and human development from published data (UNODC, UCDP, World Bank, UNDP).

Is São Tomé safe?

Sao Tome and Principe · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04

65.4High · rank 3949 / 6,168
safer than 36% of ranked cities

São Tomé is a city in Sao Tome and Principe, home to about 148k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 3,949 of 6,168, with a safety score of 65.4 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.

US 2/4 Exercise increased caution

Emergency Ambulance 222 22 22 · Fire 112 · Police 113 or 222 22 22

No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Sao Tome and Principe are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.

How safe is São Tomé really?

No published homicide figure exists for São Tomé itself, so the national rate stands in: Sao Tome and Principe recorded 3.2 homicides per 100,000 people in 2011 - close to the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Sao Tome and Principe's income inequality is middling (Gini 40.7) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Sao Tome and Principe at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2025-10-07). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Sao Tome and Principe without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.

What to watch out for in Sao Tome and Principe

Terrorism in São Tomé and Príncipe · Political situation · Crime · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · LGBT+ travellers · Money · Road travel · Road conditions · Public transport · Air travel

Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Sao Tome and Principe — country-level, not specific to São Tomé. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate: 3.2 /100knational rate, 2011
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 40.7country, 2017
Human development: HDI 0.637country, 2023
Income: $6,920/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 148kurban centre · 4,233/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 27.9 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 74/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 51/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 45/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 2.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.62Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 15.1 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 37%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 0.5 doctors /1k2.9 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 30 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Sao Tome and Principe (as of 2025).

All country-level figures shared by every city in Sao Tome and Principe; none of them affect the safety score.

How the score works

Low homicide40%51

Peace25%100

Equality25%54

Development10%64

One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For São Tomé that gives 65.4/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

São Tomé compared with Libreville

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours São Tomé, red favours Libreville.
Measure	São Tomé	Libreville	Difference
Safety score	65.4	78.9	−13.5 — better for Libreville
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	3.2 /100k	no data	—
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0
Income inequality (Gini)	40.7	38.0	+2.7 — better for Libreville
Human development (HDI)	0.637	0.733	−0.096 — better for Libreville
Road deaths	27.9 /100k	23.9 /100k	+4.0 /100k — better for Libreville
Rule of law	51/100	37/100	+14/100 — better for São Tomé
Corruption perceptions	45/100	29/100	+16/100 — better for São Tomé
Air quality (PM2.5)	15.1 µg/m³	31.3 µg/m³	−16.2 µg/m³ — better for São Tomé
Natural-hazard risk	2.5/10	3.5/10	−1.0/10 — better for São Tomé

Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Country-level rows describe the two countries, not the cities themselves. Full report for Libreville →

Nearby cities

See São Tomé on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →