São Tomé and Principe: Commercial service imports (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, São Tomé and Principe's commercial service imports (current US$) rose 122% on 2024 (from US$104.11 million to US$231.13 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2024), the average change was +14.1% and a typical year strayed about 42.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 190% in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 29.9% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$14.3 million a year. A straight line explains 55% 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.

How it compares

In 2025, São Tomé and Principe had the 130th highest value of the 136 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 2025 ranking

• Cabo Verde — 127th of 136: US$328.28 million
• Belize — 128th of 136: US$324.25 million
• St. Kitts and Nevis — 129th of 136: US$256.5 million
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 131st of 136: US$209.19 million
• Dominica — 132nd of 136: US$207.93 million
• Gambia, The — 133rd of 136: US$176.88 million

What this measures

Commercial service imports are total service imports minus imports of government services not included elsewhere. Imports of services are services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Balance of payments statistics, the main source of information on international trade in services, have many weaknesses. Disaggregation of important components may be limited and varies considerably across countries. There are inconsistencies in the methods used to report items. And the recording of major flows as net items is common (for example, insurance transactions are often recorded as premiums less claims). These factors contribute to a downward bias in the value of the service trade reported in the balance of payments. Efforts are being made to improve the coverage, quality, and consistency of these data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 46 values

Commercial service imports (current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$8.16 billion (2025)
• Benin — US$1.54 billion (2023)
• Botswana — US$1.3 billion (2025)
• Burkina Faso — US$1.41 billion (2024)
• Burundi — US$389.34 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$328.28 million (2025)
• Cameroon — US$2.37 billion (2024)
• Comoros — US$203.75 million (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$4.59 billion (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — US$1.68 billion (2021)

More private sector & trade data for São Tomé and Principe

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$183 million (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$38 million (2025)
• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 22.52% (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 50.15% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) — 0% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) — US$181.65 million (2023)
• Merchandise exports to high-income economies (% of total merchandise exports) — 96.73% (2023)
• Merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is São Tomé and Principe's commercial service imports (current US$)?

US$231.13 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1974?

It is up 7,124% from US$3.2 million in 1974 (8.75% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$231.13 million in 2025 and the lowest US$2.16 million in 1976.

How does São Tomé and Principe rank?

130th highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in commercial service imports (current US$) unusual for São Tomé and Principe?

In 2025, São Tomé and Principe's commercial service imports (current US$) rose 122% on 2024 (from US$104.11 million to US$231.13 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2024), the average change was +14.1% and a typical year strayed about 42.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TM.VAL.SERV.CD.WT, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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