São Tomé and Principe: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, São Tomé and Principe's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) fell 5.6% on 2022 (from US$192.35 million to US$181.65 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +7.8% and a typical year strayed about 18.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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 148.9% in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 60.5% in 1983. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 30% 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 2023, São Tomé and Principe had the 203rd highest value of the 205 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

• Tonga — 200th of 205: US$257.53 million
• American Samoa — 201st of 205: US$208.32 million
• Kiribati — 202nd of 205: US$198.07 million
• Tuvalu — 204th of 205: US$72.73 million
• Naoero — 205th of 205: US$71.29 million

What this measures

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

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

All 50 values

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$15.69 billion (2023)
• Benin — US$3.91 billion (2023)
• Botswana — US$5.89 billion (2023)
• Burkina Faso — US$5.88 billion (2023)
• Burundi — US$959.12 million (2023)
• Cabo Verde — US$1.74 billion (2023)
• Cameroon — US$8.62 billion (2023)
• Central African Republic — US$736.21 million (2023)
• Chad — US$1.39 billion (2023)

More private sector & trade data for São Tomé and Principe

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

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is São Tomé and Principe's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$)?

US$181.65 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1969?

It is up 2,322% from US$7.5 million in 1969 (6.08% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$192.35 million in 2022 and the lowest US$7.47 million in 1983.

How does São Tomé and Principe rank?

203rd highest of 205 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) unusual for São Tomé and Principe?

In 2023, São Tomé and Principe's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) fell 5.6% on 2022 (from US$192.35 million to US$181.65 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +7.8% and a typical year strayed about 18.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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.MRCH.WL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); Direction of Trade database, 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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