São Tomé and Principe - Exports of goods and services (BoP, current US$)

The latest value for Exports of goods and services (BoP, current US$) in São Tomé and Principe was $49,337,070 as of 2020. Over the past 46 years, the value for this indicator has fluctuated between $98,232,690 in 2018 and $7,675,257 in 1975.

Definition: Exports of goods and services comprise all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from residents to nonresidents of general merchandise, net exports of goods under merchanting, nonmonetary gold, and services. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Source: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files.

See also:

Year Value
1974 $17,853,610
1975 $7,675,257
1976 $8,741,595
1977 $23,488,620
1978 $24,117,290
1979 $29,282,290
1980 $19,961,810
1981 $9,513,154
1982 $10,780,860
1983 $10,204,280
1984 $14,196,530
1985 $9,205,372
1986 $13,553,080
1987 $8,177,275
1988 $11,055,860
1989 $9,397,440
1990 $7,880,000
1997 $12,400,310
1998 $11,303,240
1999 $16,375,330
2000 $16,267,370
2001 $11,063,790
2002 $14,771,460
2003 $15,786,700
2004 $15,069,280
2005 $15,944,200
2006 $16,114,820
2007 $13,510,600
2008 $17,509,380
2009 $19,612,830
2010 $24,314,400
2011 $29,342,880
2012 $32,936,900
2013 $49,073,370
2014 $87,098,060
2015 $89,983,830
2016 $96,563,790
2017 $92,153,930
2018 $98,232,690
2019 $72,593,870
2020 $49,337,070

Development Relevance: The balance of payments records an economy’s transactions with the rest of the world. Balance of payments accounts are divided into two groups: the current account, which records transactions in goods, services, primary income, and secondary income, and the capital and financial account, which records capital transfers, acquisition or disposal of nonproduced, nonfinancial assets, and transactions in financial assets and liabilities. The current account balance is one of the most analytically useful indicators of an external imbalance. A primary purpose of the balance of payments accounts is to indicate the need to adjust an external imbalance. Where to draw the line for analytical purposes requires a judgment concerning the imbalance that best indicates the need for adjustment. There are a number of definitions in common use for this and related analytical purposes. The trade balance is the difference between exports and imports of goods. From an analytical view it is arbitrary to distinguish goods from services. For example, a unit of foreign exchange earned by a freight company strengthens the balance of payments to the same extent as the foreign exchange earned by a goods exporter. Even so, the trade balance is useful because it is often the most timely indicator of trends in the current account balance. Customs authorities are typically able to provide data on trade in goods long before data on trade in services are available.

Limitations and Exceptions: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The balance of payments (BoP) is a double-entry accounting system that shows all flows of goods and services into and out of an economy; all transfers that are the counterpart of real resources or financial claims provided to or by the rest of the world without a quid pro quo, such as donations and grants; and all changes in residents' claims on and liabilities to nonresidents that arise from economic transactions. All transactions are recorded twice - once as a credit and once as a debit. In principle the net balance should be zero, but in practice the accounts often do not balance, requiring inclusion of a balancing item, net errors and omissions. The concepts and definitions underlying the data are based on the sixth edition of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6). Balance of payments data for 2005 onward will be presented in accord with the BPM6. The historical BPM5 data series will end with data for 2008, which can be accessed through the World Development Indicators archives. The complete balance of payments methodology can be accessed through the International Monetary Fund website (www.imf.org/external/np/sta/bop/bop.htm).

Aggregation method: Gap-filled total

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Note: Data are based on the sixth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6) and are only available from 2005 onwards.

Classification

Topic: Economic Policy & Debt Indicators

Sub-Topic: Balance of payments