Religion in São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe has a diverse religious landscape, although Christianity is dominant. The 2024 census counted 209,607 residents during data collection in November and December 2024. It recorded Catholic 36.9%; Evangelical or Assembleia de Deus 6.4%; Adventist 5.7%; Nova Apostólica 2.4%; Reino Universal de Deus 1.8%; Igreja de Mana 1.6%; A vontade de Jeová 1.0%; Deus é Amor 0.7%; Copa do Mundo Messiânica 0.3%; Muslim or Islâmico 0.2%; another religion 2.6%; no religion 9.6%; atheist 0.7%; unsure 2.4%; no answer 0.9%; and an unspecified category of 26.9%. The high level of non-response means these figures describe reported religious practice or affiliation and should not automatically be treated as formal membership figures. Religious patterns differ by location. In Príncipe, 38.8% identified as Catholic and 11.2% as Adventist. Cantagalo recorded 43.4% Catholic, while Água-Grande recorded 39.8% Catholic and Mé-Zochi approximately 36.9%. These differences do not create separate municipal religious authorities; religious services and legal matters depend on the relevant national body, denomination or local congregation. The Catholic Church has a nationwide structure through the Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe, its parish and church network, Caritas Diocesana and Rádio Jubilar. João de Ceita Nazaré has served as bishop since 2024. The Adventist Mission reported 32 churches and 8,806 members on 30 June 2025; this membership figure cannot be compared directly with the census percentage. Other Protestant communities include Methodists, the Evangelic Assembly of Christ, the Universal Church of Christ, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and the Thokoist Church. A small Muslim community has a documented mosque and imam. Reports associate some growth in that community with migration from Nigeria, Cameroon, Lebanon and other African countries. Some Christians and Muslims also combine their faith with elements of indigenous belief, but no separate state recognition of an indigenous religion has been documented. The state is secular and must remain separate from religious confessions. Article 9 of the Constitution establishes this separation, while Article 27 protects conscience, religion and worship. No one may be persecuted, lose rights or be denied a civic exemption solely because of religious conviction or practice. Authorities may collect religious information only for non-individualised statistics, and refusing to answer a religious question must not cause disadvantage. The freedom to learn, teach, organise and conduct worship is protected, and the state may not impose religious ideological teaching. Religious confessions receive equal treatment under the general legal framework, although the Catholic Church has an additional bilateral framework. A religious confession seeking legal recognition applies to the Ministry of Justice, Administration and Human Rights. The process then involves a notarial filing with ministry approval, statutes, minutes or a report from a meeting attended by at least 500 representatives, identification documents, a list of board members and a certificate confirming that the proposed name is unique. The documented notarial fee is 1,000 dobras. Publication in the official Gazette is required before the group can operate fully. The 2023 report listed 33 registered groups. The current number and fee should be verified before filing. Non-registration can lead to fines, and a foreign group may face expulsion. Registered groups receive the same benefits as registered non-profit organisations, including tax exemptions. Religious worship is generally free in law, but no nationwide subsidy, standard ceremony fee or universal pastoral-care tariff has been documented. The Agreement with the Holy See was signed in 2022, approved and ratified in 2023, and entered into force after the exchange of ratifications on 29 January 2024. It gives civil legal personality after notification to specified Catholic bodies such as the Episcopal Conference, the Diocese, parishes, missions, shrines, congregations, schools, hospitals and educational institutions. It protects public and free worship, religious teaching, ministry and charitable work. Catholic schools may operate at all levels, with recognition of degrees and diplomas under the agreement's conditions. Catholic social centres, kindergartens, shelters, hospitals and clinics are also covered by the framework, which provides specified tax exemptions. These provisions do not replace the secular state or the equal-treatment rule for other confessions. Religious education was not part of the official public-school curriculum in the 2023 baseline. One Catholic and one Seventh-day Adventist religious school were documented, with general education and compulsory religion classes for enrolled students under Ministry of Education oversight. Since the Agreement with the Holy See entered into force, Catholic religious instruction in public primary and secondary schools may be provided when interested persons or guardians request it. The bishop authorises the content and teachers, while the state establishes the hiring arrangement. No equally detailed national pathway for religious instruction by other confessions has been documented. Christian worship includes church celebrations, saints' days and processions. Seventh-day Adventists observe Saturday as their day of worship. A 2023 report described a possible access problem when state recruitment examinations were scheduled on Saturday, but no current general accommodation rule has been documented. Muslim practice exists locally, but no reliable nationwide Ramadan or Eid infrastructure or public-holiday rule has been established. The government tourism portal listed 16 national holidays in 2025. Faith-linked holidays include Christmas on 25 December, All Souls' Day or Finados on 2 November, Ash Wednesday or Quarta-feira de Cinzas, locally called Dia do Bocado, and 21 December, São Tomé Day, which also coincides with the feast of São Tomé. In Príncipe, 15 August is the feast of Saint Lawrence or Santo António. Some of these dates also contain cultural and traditional elements. Annual official notices should be checked because dates and work rules may change. Holiday work is handled through paid leave, a replacement rest day or higher remuneration according to the applicable regulation. Religious life events are usually organised by the relevant denomination. Baptism, confirmation, communion and funeral rites do not themselves create a separate state registration effect. A Catholic canonical marriage can produce civil effects when it meets São Tomé and Príncipe's legal requirements and is transcribed in the Civil Registry on the basis of an ecclesiastical certificate. The ordinary civil marriage process is handled through the DGRN or Conservatória do Registo Civil. Online information has listed an urgent process costing 1,105 dobras and taking three days, but the tariff and timing should be confirmed. For non-Catholic religious marriages, no direct nationwide equivalent has been documented, so civil registration remains the safest documented process for legal effect. Ceremony fees and timing depend on the congregation or faith leader. Dialogue between religious communities is mainly institutional or ad hoc. In 2023, consultations involved the Ministry, the Catholic Diocese, Adventist leaders and a local imam. The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God opened a church-run radio station in August 2023 with National Assembly participation. More than 650 young people registered for Catholic participation in World Youth Day in 2023. No permanent official national interfaith council has been documented, so questions about cooperation or accommodation should be directed to the relevant ministry, registered confession, school or institution.