Economy · Sub-Saharan Africa · Lower-middle income
São Tomé and Príncipe: the economy in numbers
GDP is $981m (2025), 201st of 211 in the world and 46th of 46 in Sub-Saharan Africa. GDP per capita is $4,084 (2025), 150th of 211 in the world and 10th of 46 in Sub-Saharan Africa. GDP per capita, PPP is $6,388 (2025), 158th of 199 in the world and 18th of 46 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
GDP
São Tomé and Príncipe
GDP per capita
São Tomé and PríncipeSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Economy: São Tomé and Príncipe in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDPGDP, current US$ | $981m2025 | 201/211 | 46/46 | $76.2m | $190m | $471m | +277%since 2015 | $2.2tn | $7.3tn | $118tn | |
| GDP per capitaGDP per capita, current US$ | $4,0842025 | 150/211 | 10/46 | $529 | $1,045 | $2,167 | +215%since 2015 | $1,673 | $2,481 | $14,406 | |
| GDP per capita, PPPGDP per capita, PPP (current international $) | $6,3882025 | 158/199 | 18/46 | $1,830 | $2,859 | $5,145 | +101%since 2015 | $5,786 | $10,942 | $25,704 | |
| GNI per capitaGNI per capita, Atlas method, US$ | $3,8002025 | 143/201 | 9/46 | $480 | $1,090 | $2,030 | +171%since 2015 | $1,610 | $2,488 | $14,244 | |
| GDP growthGDP growth, annual % | 1.0%2025 | 173/210 | 43/46 | 0.4% | 1.4% | 2.6% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 4.1% | 6.0% | 2.9% | |
| GDP per capita growthGDP per capita growth, annual % | -1.0%2025 | 194/210 | 43/46 | -0.7% | -0.8% | 0.7% | −0.7 ppsince 2015 | 1.6% | 4.6% | 2.0% | |
| Agriculture shareAgriculture, forestry and fishing, % of GDP | 12.2%2025 | 61/198 | 31/45 | · | 11.6% | 14.1% | −1.9 ppsince 2015 | 17.9% | 17.8% | 4.0% | |
| Industry shareIndustry incl. construction, % of GDP | 2.2%2025 | 201/201 | 45/45 | · | 14.7% | 6.1% | −9.5 ppsince 2015 | 25.1% | 31.3% | 25.0% | |
| Manufacturing shareManufacturing, value added, % of GDP | 0.6%2025 | 191/194 | 43/43 | · | 4.7% | 0.9% | −2.2 ppsince 2015 | 9.6% | 16.9% | 14.9% | |
| Services shareServices, % of GDP | 81.4%2025 | 10/201 | 1/45 | · | 64.6% | 75.1% | +7.4 ppsince 2015 | 50.2% | 61.3% | 63.3% | |
| InvestmentGross capital formation, % of GDP | 8.7%2025 | 170/175 | 41/43 | · | 25.7% | 11.8% | −5.8 ppsince 2015 | 23.1% | 31.1% | 26.3% | |
| SavingsGross savings, % of GDP | 0.2%2025 | 159/163 | 39/39 | · | -32.8% | -4.4% | +20.2 ppsince 2015 | 19.3% | 28.2% | 26.0% | |
| Resource rentsNatural resources rents, % of GDP | 1.9%2021 | 98/209 | 41/46 | 3.0%2001 | 4.0% | 2.0% | −1.9 ppsince 2011 | 10.0% | 4.7% | 3.1% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- GDP+277%$981m in 2025
- GDP per capita+215%$4,084 in 2025
- GDP per capita, PPP+101%$6,388 in 2025
- GNI per capita+171%$3,800 in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- GDP growth−0.5 pp1.0% in 2025
- GDP per capita growth−0.7 pp-1.0% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
São Tomé and Príncipe and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with São Tomé and Príncipe. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | São Tomé and Príncipe | Nigeria | Gabon | Equatorial Guinea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $981m2025 | $291bn2025 | $21.4bn2025 | $12.8bn2025 |
| GDP per capita | $4,0842025 | $1,2242025 | $8,2632025 | $6,6152025 |
| GDP per capita, PPP | $6,3882025 | $9,5322025 | $22,2182025 | $16,1332025 |
| GNI per capita | $3,8002025 | $1,3602025 | $8,0902025 | $5,8902025 |
| GDP growth | 1.0%2025 | 4.0%2025 | 2.5%2025 | -5.8%2025 |
| GDP per capita growth | -1.0%2025 | 1.9%2025 | 0.3%2025 | -8.1%2025 |
| Agriculture share | 12.2%2025 | 23.0%2025 | 6.8%2025 | 3.2%2025 |
| Industry share | 2.2%2025 | 16.4%2025 | 47.2%2025 | 41.4%2025 |
| Manufacturing share | 0.6%2025 | 8.3%2025 | 19.1%2025 | 22.3%2025 |