Statistical data (Sao Tome and Principe)
Economic Indicator
| 2019(a) | 2020(a) | 2021(c) | 2022(c) | |
| Population (thousand) | 215 | 219 | – | – |
| Real GDP growth rate (%) | 484.0(b) | 530.9(b) | – | – |
| Total exports (US$ million) | 1.3 | -7.0(b) | 2.9 | 4.0 |
| Total imports (US$ million) | 13.0 | 14.0 | – | – |
| Consumer Price Index (%) | 126.0 | 115.0 | – | – |
| Current account balance (US$ million) | 7.8 | 10.0(b) | 7.9 | 8.7 |
| Real GDP growth rate (%) | -87.0 | -57.0 | – | – |
| Exchange Rate (São Tomé and Príncipe dobra STD: US dollars USD) | 21.9 | 21.5 | 22 | 27 |
Remarks: (a) actual value; (b) estimated value of Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU); (c) estimates of Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
Source: Country Report Q3 2021 (São Tomé and Príncipe) by British Economist Intelligence Unit
Main export and import goods destinations
| Main export destinations (2021) | Proportion in total value of exports goods (%) |
| The Netherlands | 45.1 |
| Belgium | 21.3 |
| Portugal | 13.1 |
| Germany | 9.1 |
| Others | 11.4 |
| Main source of import (2021) | Proportion in total value of imports goods (%) |
| Portugal | 49.3 |
| Angola | 12.0 |
| Togo | 9.4 |
| China | 7.2 |
| Others | 22.1 |
Source: International Trade Center (ITC)
Main export and import goods
| Major export goods (2021) | Proportion in total value of exports goods (%) |
| Cocoa and cocoa products | 60.5 |
| Animal or vegetable fats and oil and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes | 32.9 |
| Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof | 2.4 |
| Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts | 0.8 |
| Others | 3.4 |
| Major import goods (2021) | Proportion in total value of imports goods (%) |
| Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes | 19.7 |
| Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles | 6.7 |
| Drinks, wine and vinegar | 8.0 |
| Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling-stock, and parts and accessories thereof | 6.2 |
| Others | 59.4 |
Source: International Trade Center (ITC)
Statistics on Trade in Services
| Main Exports Services (2021) | Proportion in total value of exports services (%) |
| Tourism | 54.4 |
| Government procurement on goods and services | 33.3 |
| Other Business Services | 3.5 |
| Other | 8.8 |
| Main Imports Services (2021) | Proportion in total value of imports services (%) |
| Transportation | 44.0 |
| Tourism | 18.0 |
| Government procurement on goods and services | 6.0 |
| Other | 32.0 |
Remarks：The above content is the estimated data of UNCTAD, WTO and ITC.
Source: International Trade Centre
Statistics on the trade in goods between Mainland China and São Tomé and Príncipe (Thousand US dollars)
| Year | Total trade | Total exports value* | Total imports value ** |
| 2022 | 15,438 | 15,288 | 150 |
| 2021 | 15,077 | 14,945 | 133 |
| 2020 | 20,332 | 20,286 | 47 |
| 2019 | 8,934 | 8,921 | 14 |
| 2018 | 7,305 | 7,255 | 5 |
Remarks: * Value of goods exported to São Tomé and Príncipe from Mainland China; **Value of goods imported from São Tomé and Príncipe to Mainland China
Source of Data: General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China
Source of Data:
- People’s Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China
- Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
- “2020 Statistical Bulletin of China’s Outward Foreign Direct Investment” by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China
- SinoMaps Press
- International Trade Center (ITC)
- Country Report Q3 2021 (São Tomé and Príncipe) by the British Economist Intelligence Unit
- 2021 World Investment Report by the UNCTAD
Updated in February 2023.
