01Key Takeaways
- Sao Tome and Principe exported $16.55 million worth of goods in 2023, down 26.7% from $22.59 million in 2022, the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Cocoa and cocoa preparations led export categories at 61.5% ($10.18 million), by far the largest single category.
- The Netherlands took 60.3% of exports ($9.99 million), the largest single destination by a wide margin.
- Belgium ranked second among partners at 20.7% ($3.42 million). Together, these two countries dominate the export list.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $9.9M | $12.4M | $19.2M | $22.6M | $16.6M |
03Top Export Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | $10.0M | 60.3% |
| 2 | Belgium | $3.4M | 20.7% |
| 3 | Portugal | $784.4K | 4.7% |
| 4 | Germany | $532.4K | 3.2% |
| 5 | Spain | $521.7K | 3.2% |
| 6 | Cameroon | $311.2K | 1.9% |
| 7 | France | $300.5K | 1.8% |
| 8 | Bulgaria | $203.5K | 1.2% |
| 9 | Estonia | $125.6K | 0.8% |
| 10 | United States | $87.9K | 0.5% |
04Top Export Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations | $10.2M | 61.5% |
| 2 | Animal or Vegetable Fats and Oils and their Cleavage Products; Prepared Edible Fats; Animal or Vegetable Waxes | $5.6M | 33.8% |
| 3 | Coffee, Tea, Mate and Spices | $325.1K | 2.0% |
| 4 | Aircraft, Spacecraft and parts thereof | $54.0K | 0.3% |
| 5 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $53.0K | 0.3% |
| 6 | Edible Fruit and Nuts; Peel of Citrus Fruit or Melons | $48.9K | 0.3% |
| 7 | Dairy Produce; Birds' Eggs; Natural Honey; Edible Products of Animal Origin, not elsewhere specified or included | $46.1K | 0.3% |
| 8 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $35.0K | 0.2% |
| 9 | Miscellaneous Chemical Products | $32.5K | 0.2% |
| 10 | Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruits; Miscellaneous Grains, Seeds and Fruit; Industrial or Medicinal Plants; Straw and Fodder | $30.8K | 0.2% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Export Value Fell Sharply After Two Years of Growth
Sao Tome and Principe exported $16.55 million worth of goods in 2023, down 26.7% from $22.59 million in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023.
Export value climbed in every year from 2019 through 2022. It stood at $9.86 million in 2019, rose to $12.44 million in 2020, then to $19.17 million in 2021, and reached $22.59 million in 2022. That four-year run of growth ended with the drop to $16.55 million in 2023.
This dataset does not include information explaining what drove either the earlier growth or the 2023 decline. Even after that drop, 2023 export value remains well above the 2019 starting point. A small economy like this one can see swings of that size from year to year without any single dramatic event behind them.
Cocoa and Cocoa-Related Products Dominate the Export List
Cocoa and cocoa preparations led every export category in 2023. They were worth $10.18 million, or 61.5% of the total, by far the largest single category. Animal or vegetable fats and oils followed at 33.8% ($5.60 million), a category that typically includes cocoa butter and related derivatives. Together, these top two categories leave very little room for anything else on the list.
Cocoa has long dominated this island economy, accounting for roughly 95% of exports by the late 20th century. This dataset's 2023 figures suggest that concentration has continued. Coffee, tea, mate and spices followed at a distant 2.0% ($0.33 million).
The remaining seven categories were each worth less than half a percent of the total. Aircraft and spacecraft parts contributed 0.3% ($0.05 million), and machinery, boilers and mechanical appliances added 0.3% ($0.05 million). Fruit and nuts contributed 0.3% ($0.05 million), and dairy produce, eggs and honey added 0.3% ($0.05 million). Vehicles contributed 0.2% ($0.03 million), chemical products added 0.2% ($0.03 million), and oil seeds closed out the top ten at 0.2% ($0.03 million).
The Netherlands Buys Six in Ten Export Dollars
Netherlands was Sao Tome and Principe's largest export destination in 2023, absorbing 60.3% of the total, worth $9.99 million. Belgium ranked a distant second at 20.7% ($3.42 million), and Portugal followed at 4.7% ($0.78 million). Together, the top three destinations made up 85.7% of total export value.
Germany contributed 3.2% ($0.53 million), and Spain added 3.2% ($0.52 million). Cameroon contributed 1.9% ($0.31 million), and France added 1.8% ($0.30 million). Bulgaria contributed 1.2% ($0.20 million), and Estonia added 0.8% ($0.13 million). The United States closed out the top ten at 0.5% ($0.09 million).
A destination list topped so heavily by the Netherlands and Belgium, both major European centers for cocoa trading and chocolate manufacturing, lines up closely with cocoa's dominant position among Sao Tome and Principe's export categories. This dataset does not specify whether shipments to the Netherlands move on to other markets after arrival. It is common for cocoa beans to pass through a European port before reaching the chocolate manufacturers that ultimately process them, though this dataset cannot confirm whether that applies here.
Sao Tome and Principe's export profile in this dataset is unusually concentrated on both sides. The top three export destinations account for 85.7% of total value. The two leading export categories, cocoa and the related fats and oils category, sit well ahead of everything else on the category list.
This kind of concentration is common among very small island economies that rely on a narrow production base and a handful of trading relationships built up over many years. Sao Tome and Principe's population and land area are both small compared with most other countries in this dataset. A handful of large shipments in a single category, sent to a small number of destinations, can shift the country's entire export total from one year to the next. That dynamic likely contributes to the swings seen in the five-year trend covered above.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes a small export economy built overwhelmingly around cocoa. Nearly all of it sells to two European destinations, with only a small share reaching the rest of the world. This dataset does not identify individual shipments or buyers, so it cannot confirm exactly which transactions drove the changes between 2019 and 2023.