Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within was 34.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Sao Tome and Principe, 1969–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Sao Tome and Principe is 34.1%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 47 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 20.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 34.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1989.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 38th of 203 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 32.0% | — |
| 1970 | 27.3% | -14.8% |
| 1973 | 28.1% | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 23.9% | -15.2% |
| 1975 | 18.4% | -22.7% |
| 1976 | 11.9% | -35.5% |
| 1977 | 6.7% | -44.0% |
| 1984 | 5.3% | -20.5% |
| 1985 | 0.2% | -97.1% |
| 1986 | 0.2% | +59.0% |
| 1987 | 0.2% | -13.6% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | +31.7% |
| 1989 | 0.0% | -85.8% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | +502.8% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | +339.2% |
| 1992 | 4.8% | +368.6% |
| 1993 | 8.4% | +73.9% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | -60.5% |
| 1995 | 4.9% | +46.7% |
| 1996 | 6.0% | +21.7% |
| 1997 | 9.0% | +51.3% |
| 1998 | 5.1% | -43.2% |
| 1999 | 4.4% | -14.6% |
| 2000 | 13.6% | +210.2% |
| 2001 | 19.7% | +45.3% |
| 2002 | 16.0% | -18.6% |
| 2003 | 14.2% | -11.7% |
| 2004 | 18.2% | +28.6% |
| 2005 | 21.7% | +18.9% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 21.5% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 28.8% | +33.4% |
| 2009 | 19.7% | -31.5% |
| 2010 | 23.1% | +17.6% |
| 2011 | 14.7% | -36.4% |
| 2012 | 25.8% | +75.0% |
| 2013 | 28.3% | +9.8% |
| 2014 | 24.7% | -12.9% |
| 2015 | 23.7% | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 18.4% | -22.3% |
| 2017 | 23.5% | +28.0% |
| 2018 | 25.3% | +7.4% |
| 2019 | 26.6% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 24.5% | -8.1% |
| 2021 | 23.8% | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 33.8% | +41.9% |
| 2023 | 34.1% | +1.0% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 34.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 19.5%, 1.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 34.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15.0%, 2.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Sao Tome and Principe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +502.8% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 1992 | +368.6% | 1.0% | 4.8% |
| 1991 | +339.2% | 0.2% | 1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.0% | 32.0% | 32.0% | 1 |
| 1970s | 19.4% | 6.7% | 28.1% | 6 |
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.0% | 5.3% | 6 |
| 1990s | 4.7% | 0.2% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.5% | 13.6% | 28.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.4% | 14.7% | 28.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.1% | 23.8% | 34.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
More private sector data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Merchandise trade 22.5% (2025)
- Food imports 31.8% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 37.1% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 183.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 98.2% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 1.5% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 38.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 158.17 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0387 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 31.03 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Sao Tome and Principe was 34.1% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 34.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1989.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 38th out of 203 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from other low- and middle-income economies in the same World Bank region according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data. No figures are shown for high-income economies, because they are a separate category in the World Bank classification of economies.