Travel services in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Travel services was 29.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Travel services in Sao Tome and Principe, 1974–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for travel services in Sao Tome and Principe is 29.1%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 46.6% on the previous year and up 34.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 31.4% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2009.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 53rd out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Travel services in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 6.9% | — |
| 1975 | 19.9% | +189.0% |
| 1976 | 8.8% | -55.7% |
| 1977 | 5.1% | -42.4% |
| 1978 | 6.7% | +31.1% |
| 1979 | 8.8% | +32.9% |
| 1980 | 10.4% | +17.2% |
| 1981 | 8.6% | -16.8% |
| 1982 | 7.8% | -9.3% |
| 1983 | 12.4% | +58.4% |
| 1984 | 7.7% | -37.7% |
| 1985 | 9.6% | +23.7% |
| 1986 | 9.5% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 13.0% | +37.8% |
| 1988 | 13.4% | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 20.4% | +51.8% |
| 1990 | 24.1% | +18.1% |
| 1997 | 8.2% | -65.9% |
| 1998 | 8.3% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 6.4% | -23.4% |
| 2000 | 6.0% | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 5.8% | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 5.5% | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 4.9% | -10.1% |
| 2004 | 4.9% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | -89.1% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | +190.3% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -55.4% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -88.6% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -9.7% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | +239.6% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | +434.4% |
| 2012 | 9.8% | +663.0% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | -69.1% |
| 2014 | 21.6% | +612.2% |
| 2015 | 26.8% | +23.7% |
| 2016 | 25.4% | -5.0% |
| 2017 | 29.0% | +14.0% |
| 2018 | 28.4% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 31.4% | +10.6% |
| 2020 | 23.3% | -25.6% |
| 2021 | 28.8% | +23.5% |
| 2022 | 9.9% | -65.7% |
| 2023 | 19.9% | +100.9% |
| 2024 | 29.1% | +46.6% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 29.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.6%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 29.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.3%, 3.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Travel services 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +663.0% | 1.3% | 9.8% |
| 2014 | +612.2% | 3.0% | 21.6% |
| 2011 | +434.4% | 0.2% | 1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.4% | 5.1% | 19.9% | 6 |
| 1980s | 11.3% | 7.7% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.7% | 6.4% | 24.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 0.1% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.7% | 0.2% | 31.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.2% | 9.9% | 29.1% | 5 |
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 travel services in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Travel services in Sao Tome and Principe was 29.1% in 2024, 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 31.4% in 2019.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2009.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for travel services?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 53rd out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of commercial service imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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 imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.