The Saotomense of Sao Tome and Principe

The Saotomense of Sao Tome and Principe, numbering approximately 215,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnic community of mixed Indigenous and European ancestry originating in São Tomé and Príncipe. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Sãotomense is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Saotomense

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Sao Tome and Principe
People Cluster: Other Sub-Saharan African
Primary Language(s): Sãotomense (cri)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 215,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014215
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Saotomense of Sao Tome and Principe

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

—
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Sãotomense
Language Family: Indo-European

60%
%
Sãotomense Speakers

Media Resources in Sãotomense:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Sãotomense:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Sãotomense bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Saotomense are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Saotomense:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Saotomense of Sao Tome and Principe

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
readEphesians 2:8-9

Pray that the lost among them will receive the gift of salvation by grace through faith, not by works, and be created for good works.

Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
readGenesis 2:7

Pray that Christians will be able to share the hope of Christ with suffering people and that He will breathe new life into their souls.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
readIsaiah 53:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will find comfort and spiritual healing as they remember the wounds of Christ, who understands their suffering because He also walked through suffering on their behalf.

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
readJohn 1:35-36

Pray for those God sends to cross cultures to share the gospel, that they might faithfully share the good news of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Saotomense, Mestizo Across Countries (ROP3 - 108693) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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