Travel services (% of commercial service exports) in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Travel services (% of commercial service exports) was 79.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Travel services in Sao Tome and Principe, 1974–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service exports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for travel services in Sao Tome and Principe is 79.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.0% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 97.3% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 12.4%, in 1978.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 22nd of 198 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Travel services (% of commercial service exports) in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 36.8% | — |
| 1975 | 60.4% | +64.2% |
| 1976 | 43.0% | -28.7% |
| 1977 | 42.9% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 12.4% | -71.0% |
| 1979 | 27.1% | +117.7% |
| 1980 | 37.0% | +36.6% |
| 1981 | 41.1% | +11.1% |
| 1982 | 41.0% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 28.7% | -30.1% |
| 1984 | 51.2% | +78.8% |
| 1985 | 55.2% | +7.7% |
| 1986 | 37.4% | -32.3% |
| 1987 | 70.2% | +87.9% |
| 1988 | 62.9% | -10.5% |
| 1989 | 54.5% | -13.3% |
| 1990 | 57.8% | +6.0% |
| 1997 | 60.6% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 66.7% | +10.2% |
| 1999 | 77.0% | +15.3% |
| 2000 | 76.1% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 82.6% | +8.6% |
| 2002 | 82.6% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 82.6% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 82.6% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 82.6% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 82.6% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 77.8% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 82.6% | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 82.6% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 85.5% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 88.5% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 86.0% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 85.0% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 80.5% | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 80.2% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 83.9% | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 92.1% | +9.8% |
| 2018 | 97.3% | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 92.0% | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 69.4% | -24.6% |
| 2021 | 78.4% | +12.9% |
| 2022 | 64.0% | -18.4% |
| 2023 | 67.7% | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 88.3% | +30.4% |
| 2025 | 79.4% | -10.0% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 79.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 38.7%, 2.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 79.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.9%, 1.8× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Travel services (% of commercial service exports) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +117.7% | 12.4% | 27.1% |
| 1987 | +87.9% | 37.4% | 70.2% |
| 1984 | +78.8% | 28.7% | 51.2% |
| 1978 | -71.0% | 42.9% | 12.4% |
| 1975 | +64.2% | 36.8% | 60.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 37.1% | 12.4% | 60.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 47.9% | 28.7% | 70.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 65.5% | 57.8% | 77.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 81.5% | 76.1% | 82.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.1% | 80.2% | 97.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.5% | 64.0% | 88.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
- 19 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 81.1% compare
- 20 Cape Verde 80.3% compare
- 21 Dominican Republic 80.2% compare
- 23 Bhutan 77.5% compare
- 24 Comoros 77.0% compare
- 25 Jordan 76.7% compare
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)
- Commercial service imports 231.13 million current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 98.2% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 1.5% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 38.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 105.01 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 158.17 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Travel services in Sao Tome and Principe was 79.4% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 97.3% in 2018.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.4% in 1978.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for travel services?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 22nd out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of commercial service exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are commercial services provided by residents to non-residents.