Economy · Current account balance · São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe’s current account balance fell to −9.3% of GDP in 2025.
−9.3% of GDP
2025
Down 3 pp from 2024.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
−9.3% of GDP
What it is. The current account balance adds up a country's trade in goods and services, the income it earns from or pays abroad, and transfers such as remittances and grants. The total for the year is divided by GDP so that economies of different sizes can be compared. A negative figure means the country spent more abroad than it received. Borrowing, investment and changes in reserves sit in the financial account, which shows how a gap is paid for.
Higher is better. Higher is better because a smaller deficit, or a surplus, means the economy depends less on foreign borrowing, aid and reserves to pay for what it buys abroad. The latest figure, for 2025, is −9.3% of GDP, down from −6.3% of GDP a year earlier, a fall of 3 percentage points. Since 2016 the balance has ranged from −22.7% of GDP in 2017 to −6.3% of GDP in 2024. The 2024 reading was the best in that span, so 2025 gives back part of that gain while still sitting well above the 2017 low.
Why it matters. A deficit of 9.3% of GDP means São Tomé and Príncipe needs financing from abroad equal to roughly that share of national output. That money comes from grants, loans or drawing down reserves. For households, a wider gap raises exposure to the price and availability of imported goods, which the islands rely on heavily. For the state, it adds to the need for donor support and external borrowing.
| Period | Current account balance · São Tomé and Príncipe |
|---|---|
| 2016 | −21% of GDP |
| 2017 | −22.7% of GDP |
| 2018 | −19.6% of GDP |
| 2019 | −21.8% of GDP |
| 2020 | −12.6% of GDP |
| 2021 | −18.2% of GDP |
| 2022 | −18.2% of GDP |
| 2023 | −11.2% of GDP |
| 2024 | −6.3% of GDP |
| 2025 | −9.3% of GDP |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Current account balance, São Tomé and Príncipe, 2025; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/current-account-balance/sao-tome-and-principe
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Methodology
Current account balance as a share of GDP. Unit: % of GDP. A negative value is a deficit.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series BN.CAB.XOKA.GD.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.