São Tomé and Principe: External debt stocks (% of GNI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, São Tomé and Principe's external debt stocks (% of GNI) fell 3.7 percentage points on 2023 (from 46.44% to 42.75%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −4.69 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 48.46 percentage points 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 115.03 percentage points in 1998 and the biggest yearly fall was 132.81 percentage points in 2007. 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 5.09 percentage points 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.

How it compares

In 2024, São Tomé and Principe had the 57th highest value of the 110 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

• South Africa — 54th of 110: 44.83%
• Morocco — 55th of 110: 44.72%
• Togo — 56th of 110: 43.16%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 58th of 110: 41.98%
• Papua New Guinea — 59th of 110: 41.89%
• Mauritania — 60th of 110: 41.83%

What this measures

Total external debt stocks to gross national income. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. GNI (formerly GNP) is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad.

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

All 48 values

External debt stocks (% of GNI) in nearby economies

• Angola — 79.57% (2024)
• Benin — 66.55% (2024)
• Botswana — 11.93% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 48.76% (2024)
• Burundi — 47.13% (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 86.89% (2024)
• Cameroon — 31.29% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 35.85% (2024)
• Chad — 16.4% (2024)
• Comoros — 24.81% (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 18.25% (2024)

More economic policy & debt data for São Tomé and Principe

• GDP (current US$) — US$981.29 million (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 21.28 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$326.78 million (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 4.28 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$4,084 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 88,591 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$1,360 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 17,810 (2025)
• GNI (current US$) — US$1.06 billion (2025)
• GNI (current LCU) — 23.04 billion (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is São Tomé and Principe's external debt stocks (% of GNI)?

42.75% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is up 38.52 percentage points from 4.23% in 1977. The highest value was 459.9% in 1999 and the lowest 4.23% in 1977.

How does São Tomé and Principe rank?

57th highest of 110 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in external debt stocks (% of GNI) unusual for São Tomé and Principe?

In 2024, São Tomé and Principe's external debt stocks (% of GNI) fell 3.7 percentage points on 2023 (from 46.44% to 42.75%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −4.69 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 48.46 percentage points 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.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.DOD.DECT.GN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) 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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