São Tomé and Principe: Net trade in goods (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, São Tomé and Principe's net trade in goods (current US$, BoP) fell US$20.86 million on 2024 (from −US$124.13 million to −US$145 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2024), the average change was −US$3.73 million and a typical year strayed about US$12.36 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$33.11 million in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was US$28.42 million in 2021. 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 downward, about US$4.6 million a year. A straight line explains 57% 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 53rd highest value of the 136 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

• Luxembourg — 49th of 136: US$952.48 million
• Eswatini — 50th of 136: US$282.27 million
• Mexico — 51st of 136: US$233.16 million
• Slovenia — 53rd of 136: −US$159.76 million
• Dominica — 54th of 136: −US$244.81 million
• Tonga — 55th of 136: −US$245.47 million

What this measures

The balance of international trade in goods is the difference between the exports and imports of goods. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

All 46 values

Net trade in goods (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$15.1 billion (2025)
• Benin — −US$598.79 million (2023)
• Botswana — −US$597.05 million (2025)
• Burkina Faso — US$294.53 million (2024)
• Burundi — −US$688.51 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — −US$943.55 million (2025)
• Cameroon — −US$983.96 million (2024)
• Comoros — −US$266.61 million (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$2.91 billion (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — US$4.73 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire

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 net trade in goods (current US$, BoP)?

−US$145 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1974?

It is down 1,666% from US$9.26 million in 1974. The highest value was US$11.44 million in 1977 and the lowest −US$157.24 million in 2023.

How does São Tomé and Principe rank?

53rd highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in net trade in goods (current US$, BoP) unusual for São Tomé and Principe?

In 2025, São Tomé and Principe's net trade in goods (current US$, BoP) fell US$20.86 million on 2024 (from −US$124.13 million to −US$145 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2024), the average change was −US$3.73 million and a typical year strayed about US$12.36 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.GSR.MRCH.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, 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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