Summary
- Exports
- $49million
- Imports
- $147million
- Trade balance
- -$98million
Products
What it exports
Cocoa beans (43%) and palm oil (13.8%) together make up 56.8% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (12.3%) and cargo and cruise ships (7.3%) together make up 19.6% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (90)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $21 million | $279 thousand |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $7 million | $3 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $6 million | $18 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $5 million | $11 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $3 million | $4 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $2 million | $14 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $2 million | $9 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $529 thousand | $112 thousand |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $318 thousand | $1 thousand |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $293 thousand | $378 thousand |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $284 thousand | $162 thousand |
| 39 · Plastics | $257 thousand | $4 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $243 thousand | $3 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $208 thousand | $2 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $159 thousand | $828 thousand |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $138 thousand | $3 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $104 thousand | $51 thousand |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $103 thousand | $910 thousand |
| 70 · Glass | $94 thousand | $578 thousand |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $92 thousand | $5 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $84 thousand | $9 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $72 thousand | $532 thousand |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $66 thousand | $2 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $48 thousand | $2 million |
| 74 · Copper | $46 thousand | $39 thousand |
| 44 · Wood | $40 thousand | $197 thousand |
| 40 · Rubber | $31 thousand | $1 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $29 thousand | $740 thousand |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $26 thousand | $26 thousand |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $15 thousand | $2 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $14 thousand | $812 thousand |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $13 thousand | $507 thousand |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $9 thousand | $2 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $9 thousand | $411 thousand |
| 05 · Other animal products | $8 thousand | $42 thousand |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $8 thousand | $254 thousand |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $7 thousand | $692 thousand |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $6 thousand | $2 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $5 thousand | $196 thousand |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $5 thousand | $171 thousand |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $5 thousand | $3 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $4 thousand | $2 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $4 thousand | $1 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $3 thousand | $987 thousand |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $2 thousand | $412 thousand |
| 07 · Vegetables | $1 thousand | $2 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $1 thousand | $70 thousand |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $997 | $334 thousand |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $980 | $20 thousand |
| 14 · Other plant products | $617 | $179 thousand |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $517 | $4 thousand |
| 65 · Hats | $435 | $53 thousand |
| 69 · Ceramics | $293 | $1 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $234 | $471 thousand |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $208 | $4 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $170 | $17 thousand |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $87 | $3 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $82 | $2 million |
| 50 · Silk | $37 | $157 |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $34 | $1 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $27 | $18 thousand |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $26 | $110 thousand |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $13 | $53 thousand |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $2 | $0 |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $1 | $46 thousand |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $0 | $5 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $0 | $4 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $0 | $4 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $0 | $3 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $0 | $2 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $0 | $434 thousand |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $0 | $194 thousand |
| 24 · Tobacco | $0 | $118 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $0 | $98 thousand |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $0 | $82 thousand |
| 01 · Live animals | $0 | $49 thousand |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $0 | $24 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $0 | $23 thousand |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $0 | $17 thousand |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $0 | $15 thousand |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $0 | $10 thousand |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $6 thousand |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $0 | $4 thousand |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $0 | $4 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $0 | $4 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $0 | $3 thousand |
| 51 · Wool | $0 | $830 |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $0 | $595 |
| 75 · Nickel | $0 | $78 |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $43 |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Pakistan (20.5% of exports) and its main source is Portugal (44.2% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 10 | 20.5% | Sea |
| Netherlands | 8.5 | 17.3% | Sea |
| France | 6.8 | 14% | Sea |
| Poland | 6.6 | 13.6% | Sea |
| Germany | 4.9 | 10% | Sea |
| Switzerland | 2.3 | 4.7% | Sea |
| Indonesia | 2.1 | 4.4% | Sea |
| Belgium | 1.2 | 2.4% | Sea |
| Portugal | 0.96 | 2% | — |
| Singapore | 0.95 | 1.9% | — |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, São Tomé and Principe accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 7-fold since 1995
USD millions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 49
- Imports 147
- Balance -97.7
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $7 million | $41 million | -$34 million |
| 1996 | $9 million | $35 million | -$26 million |
| 1997 | $18 million | $41 million | -$24 million |
| 1998 | $14 million | $45 million | -$30 million |
| 1999 | $17 million | $60 million | -$43 million |
| 2000 | $22 million | $49 million | -$27 million |
| 2001 | $14 million | $56 million | -$42 million |
| 2002 | $13 million | $59 million | -$46 million |
| 2003 | $16 million | $66 million | -$50 million |
| 2004 | $14 million | $70 million | -$56 million |
| 2005 | $12 million | $74 million | -$62 million |
| 2006 | $23 million | $102 million | -$80 million |
| 2007 | $15 million | $138 million | -$123 million |
| 2008 | $18 million | $141 million | -$123 million |
| 2009 | $20 million | $165 million | -$144 million |
| 2010 | $19 million | $195 million | -$176 million |
| 2011 | $18 million | $221 million | -$203 million |
| 2012 | $16 million | $196 million | -$180 million |
| 2013 | $12 million | $209 million | -$198 million |
| 2014 | $17 million | $230 million | -$213 million |
| 2015 | $15 million | $160 million | -$145 million |
| 2016 | $23 million | $151 million | -$128 million |
| 2017 | $17 million | $150 million | -$133 million |
| 2018 | $24 million | $157 million | -$133 million |
| 2019 | $23 million | $170 million | -$147 million |
| 2020 | $28 million | $140 million | -$113 million |
| 2021 | $33 million | $163 million | -$130 million |
| 2022 | $25 million | $238 million | -$213 million |
| 2023 | $59 million | $186 million | -$127 million |
| 2024 | $49 million | $147 million | -$98 million |
World rank
São Tomé and Principe fell from 198th to 200th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 198th in 1995
- 200th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 198th |
| 1996 | 198th |
| 1997 | 194th |
| 1998 | 194th |
| 1999 | 195th |
| 2000 | 199th |
| 2001 | 204th |
| 2002 | 207th |
| 2003 | 205th |
| 2004 | 207th |
| 2005 | 209th |
| 2006 | 204th |
| 2007 | 211th |
| 2008 | 210th |
| 2009 | 207th |
| 2010 | 206th |
| 2011 | 208th |
| 2012 | 211th |
| 2013 | 213th |
| 2014 | 212th |
| 2015 | 212th |
| 2016 | 209th |
| 2017 | 214th |
| 2018 | 210th |
| 2019 | 213th |
| 2020 | 208th |
| 2021 | 206th |
| 2022 | 211th |
| 2023 | 200th |
| 2024 | 200th |
What it sells
Its top export group is still cocoa and chocolate: 44% in 2024
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 6%
- Fish and seafood 1%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 3%
- Mechanical machinery 4%
- Vehicles 6%
- Ships and boats 9%
- Oil, gas and coal 13%
- Fats and oils 14%
- Cocoa and chocolate 44%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa and chocolate | 59% | 43.5% |
| Fats and oils | 0.36% | 13.9% |
| Oil, gas and coal | 0% | 13.1% |
| Ships and boats | 0% | 9.3% |
| Vehicles | 0.58% | 5.8% |
| Mechanical machinery | 2.6% | 4.2% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 8.1% | 3.4% |
| Fish and seafood | 2.1% | 1.1% |
| Other | 27.3% | 5.8% |
Who it trades with
Angola went from 0% to 10% of São Tomé and Principe's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- Portugal 34%
- China 11%
- Angola 10%
- Japan 5%
- Pakistan 5%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 36.6% | 33.6% |
| China | 0.45% | 10.7% |
| Angola | 0% | 10.4% |
| Japan | 1.7% | 5.4% |
| Pakistan | 0% | 5.4% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.