São Tomé and Principe: Manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, São Tomé and Principe's manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) fell 3.34 percentage points on 2022 (from 40.44% to 37.1%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2022), the average change was −1.42 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.19 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 6.79 percentage points in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 16.46 percentage points in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.73 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 39% 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 2023, São Tomé and Principe had the 24th highest value of the 24 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 2023 ranking

• Comoros — 21st of 24: 46.53%
• West Bank and Gaza — 22nd of 24: 45.94%
• Liberia — 23rd of 24: 42.77%

What this measures

Manufactures comprise commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 5 (chemicals), 6 (basic manufactures), 7 (machinery and transport equipment), and 8 (miscellaneous manufactured goods), excluding division 68 (non-ferrous metals). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.

Limitations: Previous editions contained data based on the SITC revision 1. Data for earlier years in previous editions may differ because of the change in methodology. Concordance tables are available to convert data reported in one system to another.

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

All 25 values

Manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) in nearby economies

• Angola — 66.81% (2025)
• Benin — 50.1% (2024)
• Botswana — 61.75% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 46.87% (2024)
• Burundi — 61.13% (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 50.76% (2024)
• Cameroon — 51.56% (2023)
• Central African Republic — 51.12% (2024)
• Comoros — 46.53% (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

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

• 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 manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports)?

37.1% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is down 36.12 percentage points from 73.21% in 1999. The highest value was 73.21% in 1999 and the lowest 37.1% in 2023.

How does São Tomé and Principe rank?

24th highest of 24 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) unusual for São Tomé and Principe?

In 2023, São Tomé and Principe's manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) fell 3.34 percentage points on 2022 (from 40.44% to 37.1%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2022), the average change was −1.42 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.19 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 TM.VAL.MANF.ZS.UN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division; World Integrated Trade Solution system (WITS); 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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