Merchandise trade in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Merchandise trade was 22.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Sao Tome and Principe, 1970–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, merchandise trade in Sao Tome and Principe stood at 22.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and down 61.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 75.2% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 15.5%, in 1987.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 194th out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 45.7% | — |
| 1971 | 40.2% | -11.9% |
| 1972 | 36.2% | -10.0% |
| 1973 | 41.1% | +13.4% |
| 1974 | 46.7% | +13.7% |
| 1975 | 29.9% | -35.9% |
| 1976 | 32.7% | +9.1% |
| 1977 | 75.2% | +130.2% |
| 1978 | 70.9% | -5.8% |
| 1979 | 71.5% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 42.9% | -40.0% |
| 1981 | 29.9% | -30.1% |
| 1982 | 33.6% | +12.3% |
| 1983 | 20.0% | -40.6% |
| 1984 | 26.8% | +34.4% |
| 1985 | 19.3% | -28.0% |
| 1986 | 22.4% | +16.0% |
| 1987 | 15.5% | -30.8% |
| 1988 | 18.2% | +17.1% |
| 1989 | 24.4% | +33.9% |
| 1990 | 21.0% | -14.0% |
| 1991 | 34.4% | +64.3% |
| 1992 | 35.8% | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 29.4% | -17.9% |
| 1994 | 28.9% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 32.8% | +13.3% |
| 1996 | 19.2% | -41.3% |
| 1997 | 22.8% | +18.8% |
| 1998 | 30.4% | +33.2% |
| 1999 | 51.7% | +70.0% |
| 2000 | 43.3% | -16.3% |
| 2001 | 40.8% | -5.8% |
| 2002 | 42.3% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 47.0% | +11.2% |
| 2004 | 40.1% | -14.6% |
| 2005 | 41.8% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 55.3% | +32.5% |
| 2007 | 57.7% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 66.5% | +15.3% |
| 2009 | 55.3% | -16.8% |
| 2010 | 64.7% | +17.0% |
| 2011 | 64.0% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 62.3% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 61.8% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 63.8% | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 58.8% | -7.8% |
| 2016 | 52.3% | -11.0% |
| 2017 | 50.3% | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 42.7% | -15.0% |
| 2019 | 39.0% | -8.8% |
| 2020 | 32.3% | -17.3% |
| 2021 | 35.7% | +10.6% |
| 2022 | 40.3% | +13.0% |
| 2023 | 30.1% | -25.3% |
| 2024 | 22.1% | -26.8% |
| 2025 | 22.5% | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 49.0% | 29.9% | 75.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.3% | 15.5% | 42.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.7% | 19.2% | 51.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.0% | 40.1% | 66.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.0% | 39.0% | 64.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.5% | 22.1% | 40.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
More private sector data for Sao Tome and Principe
- 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$), annual growth rate 31.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 761.69 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Merchandise trade in Sao Tome and Principe was 22.5% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 75.2% in 1977.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.5% in 1987.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for merchandise trade?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 194th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-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. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.