Country · STP
São Tomé and Príncipe · Finances and debt
Period
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook (October 2026) · copied on 2026-11-11
Public finances and external accounts
A fiscal deficit of 3.4 % of GDP
São Tomé and Príncipe: in 2025, the general government spent 3.4 % of GDP more than it collected, public debt stood at 59.1 % of GDP, the current account showed a deficit of 4.3 % (IMF).
- Fiscal balance · 2025
- −3.4 %
- of GDP · −6.3 pt since 2020
- Public debt · 2025
- 59.1 %
- of GDP · −31.9 pt since 2020
- Current account · 2025
- −4.3 %
- of GDP · +6.5 pt since 2020
Fiscal balance, % of GDP
Negative: a deficit · dashed: estimates and projections
Chart data as a table
| Year | São Tomé and Príncipe | Central Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | −7.6 % | −4.8 % |
| 2016 | −5.0 % | −4.8 % |
| 2017 | −3.1 % | −2.1 % |
| 2018 | −2.0 % | −0.5 % |
| 2019 | −0.1 % | −1.4 % |
| 2020 | +2.9 % | −2.3 % |
| 2021 | −1.5 % | −1.5 % |
| 2022 | −2.2 % | +0.9 % |
| 2023 | −2.1 % | −0.3 % |
| 2024 | +0.9 % | −1.5 % |
| 2025 · estimate | −3.4 % | −2.8 % |
| 2026 · projection | −1.4 % | −2.4 % |
| 2027 · projection | −0.5 % | −2.1 % |
| 2028 · projection | +1.8 % | −1.9 % |
| 2029 · projection | +2.7 % | −2.0 % |
| 2030 · projection | +2.8 % | −1.9 % |
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Central Africa
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook (October 2026) · general government net lending or borrowing · group values weighted by GDP in dollars (Syli Atlas)
Current account, % of GDP
Trade, income and transfers with the rest of the world
Chart data as a table
| Year | São Tomé and Príncipe |
|---|---|
| 2015 | −13.5 % |
| 2016 | −6.4 % |
| 2017 | −13.8 % |
| 2018 | −12.9 % |
| 2019 | −12.7 % |
| 2020 | −10.8 % |
| 2021 | −13.0 % |
| 2022 | −15.5 % |
| 2023 | −8.6 % |
| 2024 | +2.4 % |
| 2025 · estimate | −4.3 % |
| 2026 · projection | −6.1 % |
| 2027 · projection | −4.8 % |
| 2028 · projection | −4.2 % |
| 2029 · projection | −4.5 % |
| 2030 · projection | −5.0 % |
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Currency
Dobra
The dobra is pegged to the euro.
- Currency
- STN
- dobra
- Exchange regime
- Fixed
- 1 EUR = 24.5 STN
- Inflation · 2025
- 0.9 %
- average annual change in consumer prices
Currency codes: ISO 4217 · fixed parities: central banks (BCEAO, BEAC, Central Bank of the Comoros, Bank of Cape Verde…) · inflation: IMF, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Debt
A debt owed first to other countries
At the end of 2025, São Tomé and Príncipe owed 286 m$ in public external debt (World Bank). 0.0 % of it was owed to China, 27.0 % to multilateral institutions and 0.0 % to bond holders.
- Public debt · 2025
- 59.1 %
- of GDP · IMF
- External debt · 2025
- 376 m$
- public and private · World Bank
- Public external debt · 2025
- 286 m$
- owed or guaranteed by the State
- Debt service · 2024
- 2.0 %
- of exports of goods, services and income
Risk of debt distress
IMF and World Bank debt sustainability analysis
Latest analysis published on 2025-12-23: in debt distress. The country has unresolved arrears to external creditors.
Source: IMF, list of debt sustainability analyses of low-income countries, as of 2026-03-31 · imf.org
Public external debt by creditor
Share of the total at the end of each year
- Multilateral (IMF, World Bank, AfDB…)
- 27.0 %
- China
- 0.0 %
- Other countries
- 69.5 %
- Bonds (Eurobonds)
- 0.0 %
- Banks and other private lenders
- 3.5 %
Source: World Bank, International Debt Statistics (updated 2026-11-05) · public and publicly guaranteed external debt, end of year · CC BY 4.0 · shares: Syli Atlas calculation