Country import demand

Sao Tome and Principe
import demand

A reported view of Sao Tome and Principe's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.

STP1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest imports$187.1M2024 reported
Import growth-4.6%Year on year
Population235.5KReported population
GDP per capita$3.5KCurrent-dollar GDP
Trade openness56%Exports + imports / GDP

The country import read

What does Sao Tome and Principe import?

In 2024, Sao Tome and Principe recorded $187.1M in reported imports. Imports changed -4.6% year on year and +6.7% annualized over three years. Cocoa and cocoa preparations was the largest displayed import sector.

Import history

A long view of demand

Latest twelve years from the reported country series.

Reported imports by year

2013
$177.5M
2014
$183.4M
2015
$140.3M
2016
$140.3M
2017
$136.6M
2018
$139.1M
2019
$155.7M
2020
$130.0M
2021
$154.1M
2022
$195.7M
2023
$196.2M
2024
$187.1M

Demand drivers

The economy behind import demand

Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.

GDP$822.2M2024 macro context
GDP growth14.8%Five-year CAGR
Population growth2%Five-year CAGR
Investment rate24%National rate
Savings rate15.6%National rate
Trade openness56%Exports + imports / GDP

Import portfolio

The sectors shaping demand

All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.

Import demand by HS2All returned · 2024
Leading import sectors for Sao Tome and Principe
RankSectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
1Cocoa and cocoa preparationsHS2 18$270.3K0.1%1410
2Mineral fuelsHS2 27$41.4M22.1%1621
3Animal and vegetable fatsHS2 15$3.0M1.6%1528
4Ships and boatsHS2 89$16.8M9%814
5VehiclesHS2 87$7.0M3.7%4169
6MachineryHS2 84$13.1M7%48338
7Electrical machineryHS2 85$11.1M5.9%50227
8Fish and crustaceansHS2 03$108.0K0.1%656
9AircraftHS2 88$102.6K0.1%215
10Edible fruit and nutsHS2 08$359.5K0.2%1251

Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.

Supply diversification

Where import exposure is spread

Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.

Supplier markets270Reported partner count
Partner concentration1,256.1Partner HHI
Top 3 partner share50.7%Reported concentration
FTA partner markets0Reported count
Average distance7,407 kmCalculated average
Macro resilienceMacro trend resilientCountry context
Complete country valuesOpen the full import evidenceFull profile, history, and HS2 sector fields remain available here and in the downloads.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3STP
Exports Usd$40.6M
Imports Usd$187.1M
Trade Balance Usd-$146.6M
Yoy Exports Growth Pct-24.3%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct-4.6%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct14.4%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct6.7%
Export Partner Hhi1,256.1
Export Product Hhi2,152.9
Momentum Score-12.7
Risk Score17
Gdp Million Usd822.2 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$3.5K
Population235,536
Labor Force81.1
Investment Rate Pct24%
Savings Rate Pct15.6%
Secondary Education Pct40.3%
Tertiary Education Pct3.3%
Total Factor Productivity306.3
Trade Openness Pct56%
Exports Gdp Pct10%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners0
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners0%
Num Shared Language Partners8%
Avg Partner Distance Km7,407 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.3 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta0
Pct Partners Shared Language3%
Pct Partners Shared Border0%
Avg Applied Tariff PctNot reported
Avg Mfn Tariff PctNot reported
Avg Preferential Tariff PctNot reported
Tariff Advantage PpNot reported
Avg Distance All Partners Km7,404 km
Num Border Partners0
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-7.7
Pct Products High Elasticity62
Pct Products Low Elasticity6.5
Real Market Potential40,021.3
Foreign Market Potential9,721.2

Supplier context

Country Iso3STP
All History Lane Count386
Current Lane Count25
Critical Lane Count0
High Attention Lane Count4
High Volatility Lane Count4
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count3
Declining Demand Lane Count0
Concentrated Market Lane Count12
Access Friction Lane Count4
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count0
Monitored Exports Current Usd$29.7M
Attention Exports Usd$16.3M
Critical Exports Usd$0.0
High Volatility Exports Usd$2.4M
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$7.1M
Non Fta Exports Usd$29.5M
Monitored Attention Share Pct55%
Monitored Critical Share Pct0%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct0%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv0.6
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct18.6%
Export Weighted Distance Km6,673 km
Export Weighted Tariff PctNot reported
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$40.6M
Total Imports Latest Usd$187.1M
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$146.6M
Exports Yoy Latest Pct-24.3%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct14.4%
Gdp Latest Million Usd822.2 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$3.5K
Population Latest235,536
Investment Rate Latest Pct24%
Savings Rate Latest Pct15.6%
Trade Openness Latest Pct56%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct10%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest0
Foreign Market Potential Latest9,721.2
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct14.8%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct12.5%
Population 5y Cagr Pct2%
Partner Hhi Latest1,256.1
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct22.9%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct50.7%
Partner Hhi All Avg1,458.8
Partner Hhi All Max3,165.9
Product Hhi Latest2,152.9
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct40.7%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct66.5%
Product Hhi All Avg2,222.6
Product Hhi All Max3,846.6
Total Exports Attention Share Pct40.2%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct0%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual import history

YearImportsExportsBalanceImports YoY
1995$37.4M$10.1M-$27.3M+0%
1996$29.3M$6.8M-$22.5M-21.6%
1997$38.1M$16.0M-$22.1M+30.1%
1998$42.1M$12.5M-$29.5M+10.3%
1999$45.3M$14.4M-$30.9M+7.7%
2000$38.2M$19.0M-$19.2M-15.8%
2001$50.5M$11.8M-$38.7M+32.1%
2002$57.6M$11.1M-$46.5M+14.2%
2003$59.9M$11.7M-$48.2M+3.9%
2004$62.9M$11.8M-$51.0M+5%
2005$76.9M$10.3M-$66.5M+22.3%
2006$92.9M$16.4M-$76.5M+20.9%
2007$109.8M$11.4M-$98.4M+18.2%
2008$124.3M$12.5M-$111.8M+13.2%
2009$132.6M$16.6M-$115.9M+6.6%
2010$154.3M$18.1M-$136.2M+16.4%
2011$177.6M$18.4M-$159.2M+15.1%
2012$167.0M$12.8M-$154.2M-6%
2013$177.5M$9.7M-$167.8M+6.3%
2014$183.4M$16.2M-$167.2M+3.3%
2015$140.3M$13.4M-$126.9M-23.5%
2016$140.3M$20.5M-$119.8M+0%
2017$136.6M$13.4M-$123.2M-2.6%
2018$139.1M$15.6M-$123.4M+1.8%
2019$155.7M$23.0M-$132.7M+12%
2020$130.0M$24.7M-$105.3M-16.5%
2021$154.1M$27.1M-$127.0M+18.6%
2022$195.7M$23.2M-$172.5M+27%
2023$196.2M$53.6M-$142.7M+0.2%
2024$187.1M$40.6M-$146.6M-4.6%

Import sectors

RankHS2SectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
118Cocoa and cocoa preparations$270.3K0.1%1410
227Mineral fuels$41.4M22.1%1621
315Animal and vegetable fats$3.0M1.6%1528
489Ships and boats$16.8M9%814
587Vehicles$7.0M3.7%4169
684Machinery$13.1M7%48338
785Electrical machinery$11.1M5.9%50227
803Fish and crustaceans$108.0K0.1%656
988Aircraft$102.6K0.1%215
1008Edible fruit and nuts$359.5K0.2%1251

Questions about this profile

Sao Tome and Principe import demand, in context

Short answers for import and supplier research.

What does the Sao Tome and Principe import profile measure?

It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for Sao Tome and Principe.

What is the latest reported import value for Sao Tome and Principe?

Sao Tome and Principe recorded $187.1M in reported imports in 2024.

Which sectors lead Sao Tome and Principe's imports?

Cocoa and cocoa preparations leads by reported import value at $270.3K.

How many years of Sao Tome and Principe import history are available?

This profile contains 30 annual rows covering 1995 through 2024.

What drives import demand?

GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.

Are the growth and concentration values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.

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Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.