Barbados vs São Tomé and Príncipe
Barbados has 1.2× the population of São Tomé and Príncipe: 282,623 vs 240,254, a gap of 42,369. São Tomé and Príncipe is growing faster (+1.98% vs +0.06% a year), adding about 4,765 people a year against +156. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, São Tomé and Príncipe would overtake Barbados in about 8 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2033) — a projection, not a forecast. Barbados is the older society: 17.1% aged 65+ against 3.9% in São Tomé and Príncipe, while São Tomé and Príncipe has more children (37.5% under 15 vs 17.1%). Barbados is 2.7× as densely populated (656.6 vs 240.5 people per km²). People in Barbados live 6.4 years longer on average (76.3 vs 69.9). GDP per capita is 6.9× higher in Barbados ($28,365 vs $4,084).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Barbados) and 2025 (São Tomé and Príncipe); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Barbados vs São Tomé and Príncipe — side by side
 Barbados |  São Tomé and Príncipe | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 282,6232025 | 240,2542025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +0.06%2025 | +1.98%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 11.12024 | 28.12024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 10.22024 | 5.52024 |
| Children per woman | 1.712024 | 3.602024 |
| Life expectancy | 76.3 yrs2024 | 69.9 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 17.1%2025 | 37.5%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 17.1%2025 | 3.9%2025 |
| Density | 656.6 /km²2023 | 240.5 /km²2023 |
| Area | 430 km²2023 | 960 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 59.7%2025 | 69.2%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -872025 | -6502025 |
| GDP per capita | $28,3652025 | $4,0842025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #179 | #181 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Barbados: 1.2× from 1960 to 2025; São Tomé and Príncipe: 3.5× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Regions: Latin America & Caribbean · Sub-Saharan Africa · rankings
Barbados: Barbados vs Iceland, Barbados vs Vanuatu, Barbados vs New Caledonia, Barbados vs French Polynesia, Barbados vs São Tomé and Príncipe, Barbados vs Samoa.
São Tomé and Príncipe: São Tomé and Príncipe vs New Caledonia, São Tomé and Príncipe vs Barbados, São Tomé and Príncipe vs French Polynesia, São Tomé and Príncipe vs Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe vs Saint Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe vs Guam.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.