Sao Tome and Principe recorded a trade deficit of 17.44 USD Million in May of 2026. Balance of Trade in Sao Tome and Principe averaged -13.79 USD Million from 1999 until 2026, reaching an all time high of -1.55 USD Million in June of 1999 and a record low of -40.66 USD Million in September of 2014. source: Central Bank of Sao Tome and Principe

Related	Last	Previous	Unit	Reference
Balance of Trade	-17.44	-13.85	USD Million	May 2026
Current Account	-72.14	-39.19	USD Million	Dec 2025
Exports	1.34	2.52	USD Million	May 2026
Imports	18.78	16.37	USD Million	May 2026

Sao Tome and Principe Balance of Trade

Sao Tome and Principe runs systemic trade deficits due its dependency on imports of food (22 percent of total imports), capital equipment (21 percent) and fuel (15 percent). The main export is cocoa (79 percent of total exports). Others include: pepper, coconut and chocolate. Main trading partner is Portugal (53.6 of total imports and 5.7 percent of total exports), followed by France, Spain and Netherlands.