São Tomé and Principe: Gross savings (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, São Tomé and Principe's gross savings (% of GDP) fell 1.45 percentage points on 2024 (from 1.66% to 0.21%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2024), the average change was +2.23 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 9.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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 22.87 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 10.68 percentage points in 2014. 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 2.4 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 67% 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 101st highest value of the 100 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

• Moldova — 97th of 100: 4.1%
• Seychelles — 98th of 100: 2.61%
• Sudan — 99th of 100: 0.49%

What this measures

Savings is an amount that represents the part of disposable income (adjusted for the change in pension entitlements) that is not spent on final consumption. Gross savings are calculated as gross national income less total consumption, plus net transfers. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

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

All 18 values

Gross savings (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 15.88% (2024)
• Benin — 30.27% (2023)
• Botswana — 28.25% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 15.89% (2024)
• Burundi — 43.06% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 21.14% (2025)
• Cameroon — 15.54% (2024)
• Comoros — 12.05% (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 28.69% (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — 31.66% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 17.15% (2024)
• Eswatini

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)

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Questions people ask

What is São Tomé and Principe's gross savings (% of GDP)?

0.21% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2008?

It is up 34.21 percentage points from -34% in 2008. The highest value was 7.23% in 2022 and the lowest -39.17% in 2012.

How does São Tomé and Principe rank?

101st highest of 100 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in gross savings (% of GDP) unusual for São Tomé and Principe?

In 2025, São Tomé and Principe's gross savings (% of GDP) fell 1.45 percentage points on 2024 (from 1.66% to 0.21%). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2024), the average change was +2.23 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 9.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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 NY.GNS.ICTR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); National Accounts data files, Central Banks; Staff estimates, 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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