São Tomé and Principe: Commercial bank branches (per 100,000 adults)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, São Tomé and Principe's commercial bank branches (per 100,000 adults) fell 0.36 on 2023 (from 13.33 to 12.97).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2023), the average change was −0.37 and a typical year strayed about 2.65 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.43 in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.81 in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.7 a year. A straight line explains 95% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 6.29 for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 1.07, against 3.5 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, São Tomé and Principe had the 73rd highest value of the 152 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to São Tomé and Principe in the 2024 ranking

• Israel — 69th of 152: 13.67
• Bahrain — 70th of 152: 13.4
• Barbados — 71st of 152: 13.26
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 73rd of 152: 12.97
• West Bank and Gaza — 74th of 152: 12.92
• Korea, Rep. — 75th of 152: 12.39

What this measures

Commercial bank branches are retail locations of resident commercial banks and other resident banks that function as commercial banks that provide financial services to customers and are physically separated from the main office but not organized as legally separated subsidiaries.

Limitations: Population-based ratios of the number of branches and ATMs assume a uniform distribution of bank outlets within a country's area and across its population, while in most countries bank branches and ATMs are concentrated in urban centers of the country and are accessible only to some individuals.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 17 values

Commercial bank branches (per 100,000 adults) in nearby economies

• Angola — 6.82 (2024)
• Benin — 2.52 (2024)
• Botswana — 7.95 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 2.69 (2024)
• Burundi — 3.24 (2022)
• Cabo Verde — 34.8 (2024)
• Cameroon — 2.2 (2020)
• Central African Republic — 0.74 (2017)
• Chad — 0.81 (2021)
• Comoros — 5.14 (2024)

More financial sector data for São Tomé and Principe

• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$21.69 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$21.75 (2025)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 497.42 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 11.94% (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator, linked series (annual % growth) — 11.94% (2025)
• GDP deflator, linked series (base year varies by country) — 497.42 (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 6.68% (2025)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 4.55 billion (2025)
• Broad money (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is São Tomé and Principe's commercial bank branches (per 100,000 adults)?

12.97 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2008?

It is down 31.23% from 18.87 in 2008 (2.31% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 31.27 in 2013 and the lowest 12.97 in 2024.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FB.CBK.BRCH.P5, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Financial Access Survey, International Monetary Fund (IMF), uri: https://data.imf.org/en/datasets/IMF.STA:FAS Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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