São Tomé and Principe: External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, São Tomé and Principe's external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) fell US$301,178 on 2023 (from US$8.25 million to US$7.95 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −US$618,902 and a typical year strayed about US$6.48 million 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 US$15.33 million in 1999 and the biggest yearly fall was US$14.72 million in 2022. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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 110th highest value of the 118 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

• Solomon Islands — 106th of 118: US$29.19 million
• Grenada — 107th of 118: US$15.67 million
• Belize — 108th of 118: US$13.15 million
• Lesotho — 110th of 118: US$3.24 million
• Burundi — 111th of 118: US$2.65 million
• Timor-Leste — 112th of 118: US$1.26 million

What this measures

Short-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original maturity of one year or less. Available data permit no distinction between public and private nonguaranteed short-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

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

All 48 values

External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$5.81 billion (2024)
• Benin — US$1.27 billion (2024)
• Botswana — US$144.67 million (2024)
• Burkina Faso — US$0 (2024)
• Burundi — US$2.65 million (2024)
• Cabo Verde — US$388.09 million (2024)
• Cameroon — US$950.9 million (2024)
• Central African Republic — US$126.47 million (2024)
• Chad — US$29.49 million (2024)
• Comoros

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, short-term (DOD, current US$)?

US$7.95 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How does São Tomé and Principe rank?

110th highest of 118 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) unusual for São Tomé and Principe?

In 2024, São Tomé and Principe's external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) fell US$301,178 on 2023 (from US$8.25 million to US$7.95 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −US$618,902 and a typical year strayed about US$6.48 million 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.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.DOD.DSTC.CD, 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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