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Economy of Burundi vs Sao Tome and Principe compared: GDP & Debt

Updated on by Georank team

Burundi has a GDP of $2.16B compared to $764M for Sao Tome and Principe, ranking 177/197 and 189/197 by economy size, respectively.

Burundi has $934M in government debt (35.3% of GDP), compared to $332M (37.3% of GDP) in Sao Tome and Principe.

The chart below compares the two countries' GDP growth in both current (nominal) and constant dollars, accounting for inflation over time.

Burundi
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Sao Tome and Principe
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Year GDP
Burundi Sao Tome
Current $ Constant $ Current $ Constant $
1960 $195,999,990 $798,536,036 - -
1961 $202,999,992 $688,768,194 - -
1962 $213,500,006 $751,192,344 - -
1963 $232,749,998 $782,257,208 - -
1964 $260,750,008 $831,328,499 - -
1965 $158,994,963 $864,309,176 - -
1966 $165,444,571 $904,179,697 - -
1967 $178,297,143 $1,029,151,062 - -
1968 $183,200,000 $1,026,085,389 - -
1969 $190,205,714 $1,011,109,250 - -
1970 $242,732,571 $1,226,735,080 $37,211,826 $76,468,736
1971 $252,842,286 $1,260,431,391 $37,288,845 $80,579,183
1972 $246,804,571 $1,179,713,807 $41,430,257 $82,425,279
1973 $304,339,524 $1,260,984,889 $56,011,245 $83,737,737
1974 $345,263,492 $1,251,819,552 $57,817,591 $88,497,202
1975 $420,986,667 $1,260,556,254 $60,101,710 $93,256,667
1976 $448,412,754 $1,360,677,964 $52,039,421 $94,785,465
1977 $547,535,556 $1,516,740,284 $49,207,692 $116,981,878
1978 $610,225,556 $1,502,474,189 $55,044,563 $120,371,194
1979 $782,496,667 $1,527,489,708 $65,755,928 $140,043,649
1980 $919,726,667 $1,542,627,982 $81,662,231 $138,529,274
1981 $969,046,667 $1,730,262,074 $83,499,264 $124,241,500
1982 $1,013,222,222 $1,712,032,036 $80,307,763 $128,084,021
1983 $1,082,926,304 $1,775,639,625 $75,110,289 $123,122,082
1984 $987,143,931 $1,778,401,526 $78,213,796 $115,697,255
1985 $1,149,979,286 $1,987,953,782 $82,733,069 $126,456,967
1986 $1,201,725,497 $2,052,565,867 $115,928,907 $119,081,847
1987 $1,131,466,494 $2,165,520,540 $115,952,925 $115,592,613
1988 $1,082,403,219 $2,274,468,406 $99,000,764 $117,902,998
1989 $1,113,924,130 $2,305,162,408 $98,545,367 $121,599,629
1990 $1,132,101,253 $2,385,838,992 $119,297,933 $118,982,020
1991 $1,167,398,478 $2,505,055,464 $107,484,143 $120,410,999
1992 $1,083,037,671 $2,530,356,484 $94,861,781 $121,253,872
1993 $938,632,612 $2,372,462,239 $125,742,229 $122,587,663
1994 $925,030,590 $2,281,596,935 $131,338,415 $125,284,594
1995 $1,000,428,394 $2,100,894,458 $103,695,237 $127,790,288
1996 $869,033,856 $1,932,822,901 $135,188,166 $129,707,144
1997 $972,896,268 $1,902,091,017 $91,920,274 $130,999,443
1998 $893,770,740 $1,992,440,341 $72,285,404 $134,274,413
1999 $808,077,223 $1,972,316,693 $77,302,212 $137,631,282
2000 $870,486,066 $1,955,416,620 $76,198,395 $138,248,377
2001 $876,794,723 $1,995,616,214 $75,951,133 $142,484,975
2002 $825,394,519 $2,084,351,677 $85,171,074 $147,272,738
2003 $784,654,424 $2,058,844,882 $102,085,769 $159,483,886
2004 $915,257,323 $2,158,362,398 $114,582,284 $165,126,276
2005 $1,117,113,080 $2,177,787,659 $136,450,662 $176,048,759
2006 $1,273,375,078 $2,295,688,883 $142,775,104 $191,657,435
2007 $1,356,199,387 $2,374,934,883 $149,146,919 $198,636,586
2008 $1,611,835,857 $2,490,397,481 $188,021,165 $211,009,232
2009 $1,781,455,140 $2,585,349,995 $200,668,065 $217,977,601
2010 $2,032,135,192 $2,717,827,465 $190,021,192 $221,134,909
2011 $2,235,820,809 $2,827,426,576 $226,455,001 $225,556,351
2012 $2,333,341,334 $2,953,153,932 $229,371,348 $232,194,345
2013 $2,451,606,632 $3,098,572,840 $267,041,748 $244,081,947
2014 $2,705,783,330 $3,229,972,475 $293,119,143 $256,057,121
2015 $3,104,003,546 $3,104,003,546 $259,999,643 $259,999,643
2016 $2,644,487,777 $3,085,379,497 $292,267,272 $273,459,369
2017 $2,723,586,963 $3,100,806,433 $322,002,845 $284,706,697
2018 $2,667,182,200 $3,150,727,414 $383,717,328 $297,171,521
2019 $2,576,518,880 $3,207,836,407 $412,976,083 $303,157,496
2020 $2,649,680,261 $3,218,331,065 $471,229,485 $311,114,955
2021 $2,775,798,697 $3,318,099,328 $524,402,456 $317,023,958
2022 $3,338,722,828 $3,379,450,966 $540,809,499 $317,558,772
2023 $2,629,391,600 $3,469,531,570 $678,976,265 $318,740,894
2024 $2,162,378,759 $3,590,591,567 $764,274,043 $321,609,564

Economic indicators

Burundi Sao Tome
Gross domestic product
$2.16B
2024
$764M
2024
GDP rank
177/197
2024
189/197
2024
GDP growth
-17.8%
2023-2024
12.6%
2023-2024
GDP per capita
$153.9
2024
$3,245
2024
GDP per capita rank
197/197
2024
138/197
2024
GDP per capita, PPP
$950
2024
$6,230
2024
Government debt
$934M
2024
$332M
2024
Debt-to-GDP ratio
35.3%
2025
37.3%
2025
Government debt per person
$66.5
2024
$1,410
2024
Government debt per person rank
184/185
2024
133/185
2024
Average annual personal income after taxes
$1,071
2025
$2,715
2025
Income share by richest 10%
29.9%
2020
32.8%
2017
Income share by poorest 10%
2.9%
2020
2.6%
2017
Government expenditure, % of GDP
23.5%
2025
24.5%
2025
Consumer prices inflation
20.2%
2023-2024
9.7%
2024-2025
Unemployment rate
1.03%
2020
8.81%
2017
Population
14662443
244055

GDP per capita in Burundi vs Sao Tome and Principe

Burundi's GDP per capita is $153.9, ranking 197/197, compared to $3,245 in Sao Tome and Principe, ranking 138/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), Burundi ranks 197th at $950, while Sao Tome and Principe ranks 151st at $6,230.

Burundi
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Sao Tome and Principe
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
Burundi Sao Tome
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1960 $70.9 - - -
1961 $71.6 - - -
1962 $73.4 - - -
1963 $78.4 - - -
1964 $85.3 - - -
1965 $50.6 - - -
1966 $51.4 - - -
1967 $54 - - -
1968 $54.2 - - -
1969 $55.1 - - -
1970 $68.8 - $479 -
1971 $69.9 - $470 -
1972 $68.2 - $511 -
1973 $84.3 - $676 -
1974 $93.2 - $683 -
1975 $110.9 - $693 -
1976 $115.5 - $585 -
1977 $137.4 - $539 -
1978 $148.8 - $587 -
1979 $186.2 - $683 -
1980 $209.8 - $829 -
1981 $212.2 - $830 -
1982 $216.4 - $783 -
1983 $225.2 - $720 -
1984 $200.4 - $735 -
1985 $228.4 - $761 -
1986 $234.3 - $1,043 -
1987 $215.6 - $1,018 -
1988 $201.7 - $847 -
1989 $203.6 - $821 -
1990 $202.6 $598 $970 $1,504
1991 $204.7 $636 $855 $1,540
1992 $184.9 $640 $740 $1,556
1993 $165.3 $634 $964 $1,581
1994 $161.9 $618 $990 $1,623
1995 $164.9 $548 $769 $1,663
1996 $143.2 $513 $987 $1,693
1997 $160.3 $513 $662 $1,714
1998 $144.5 $533 $514 $1,754
1999 $127.5 $523 $543 $1,802
2000 $134.5 $519 $529 $1,830
2001 $132.2 $528 $519 $1,898
2002 $121 $545 $568 $1,945
2003 $111.4 $532 $664 $2,094
2004 $125.2 $551 $727 $2,171
2005 $147.2 $553 $844 $2,329
2006 $161.9 $580 $862 $2,551
2007 $166.2 $593 $879 $2,650
2008 $189.5 $609 $1,082 $2,802
2009 $199.1 $604 $1,128 $2,846
2010 $216.7 $614 $1,045 $2,859
2011 $230.1 $629 $1,220 $2,914
2012 $231.7 $639 $1,211 $2,695
2013 $234.8 $687 $1,383 $2,946
2014 $250.5 $724 $1,490 $3,233
2015 $281 $797 $1,298 $3,172
2016 $235.3 $772 $1,435 $3,320
2017 $236.7 $761 $1,556 $3,436
2018 $224.9 $753 $1,826 $3,941
2019 $210.2 $779 $1,935 $4,655
2020 $210 $787 $2,167 $5,145
2021 $214.1 $837 $2,363 $5,733
2022 $250.6 $889 $2,390 $6,034
2023 $192.1 $920 $2,941 $6,150
2024 $153.9 $950 $3,245 $6,230

Spending and national debt comparison

In 2024, Burundi's government spending was $490M, accounting for 23.5% of its GDP, while Sao Tome and Principe's spent $148M, or 24.5% of GDP.

Debt-to-GDP ratio is 35.3% in Burundi and 37.3% in Sao Tome and Principe, ranking 147/185 and 141/185, respectively.

Burundi
Government spending

Government debt
Sao Tome and Principe
Government spending

Government debt
Year % of GDP
Burundi Sao Tome
Government spending Government debt Government spending Government debt
1990 20.3% - - -
1991 22.4% - - -
1992 30.4% 93.5% - -
1993 28% 112% - -
1994 22.6% 119.6% - -
1995 25.7% 117.1% - -
1996 28.4% 139.4% - -
1997 21.9% 122.8% - -
1998 23.2% 138.9% - -
1999 23.6% 140.6% - -
2000 24.6% 136.4% 10.7% -
2001 25.4% 127.4% 52.8% 418%
2002 24.1% 159.1% 44.3% 367%
2003 36.5% 172% 51.9% 329%
2004 40.8% 172.7% 60.6% 354%
2005 33.1% 137% 43.7% 334%
2006 36.5% 130.3% 32.5% 283.2%
2007 39% 129.6% 38.9% 110.1%
2008 41.2% 102.5% 30.4% 60.7%
2009 38% 25.7% 48.6% 70.3%
2010 40.8% 46.9% 51.7% 83%
2011 42.2% 42.7% 53.4% 86%
2012 37.5% 41.4% 50.5% 86.3%
2013 34.8% 37.9% 35.5% 77.1%
2014 28.5% 38% 36% 67.4%
2015 23.2% 39.9% 41.6% 84.3%
2016 22.6% 46.1% 38.3% 81.7%
2017 24.1% 46.9% 31.9% 74.7%
2018 26% 53% 28% 71.5%
2019 28.8% 60.1% 22.8% 76.4%
2020 29.4% 65.9% 23.2% 70.8%
2021 30.3% 66.5% 25.6% 59.2%
2022 33.5% 68.3% 27.7% 55.1%
2023 28.3% 47.2% 24.3% 44.7%
2024 22.7% 43.2% 19.3% 43.5%
2025 23.5% 35.3% 24.5% 37.3%

Government deficit by year

In 2024, Burundi's government deficit, the difference between spending and revenue, was -$109M, equivalent to -5.02% of GDP. This compares to Sao Tome and Principe's surplus of $7.16M, or 0.94% of GDP.

Over the past 25 years, Burundi recorded a fiscal deficit in 25 of those years, while Sao Tome and Principe ran a deficit in 17 years. On average, Burundi posted an annual deficit equal to -6.63% of GDP, compared to surplus of +3.63% of GDP for Sao Tome and Principe.

Deficit/surplus
Burundi

Sao Tome and Principe
Year Deficit/surplus, % of GDP
Burundi Sao Tome
1990 9.47% -
1991 4.82% -
1992 -4.85% -
1993 -1.42% -
1994 -2.05% -
1995 -4.33% -
1996 -10% -
1997 -5.22% -
1998 -5.16% -
1999 -6.14% -
2000 -6.43% 51.5%
2001 -8.72% -13.5%
2002 -5.38% -10.4%
2003 -14.7% -15.9%
2004 -15.5% -25.1%
2005 -10.6% 26.8%
2006 -9.92% 18%
2007 -2.51% 125.1%
2008 -2.7% 13.6%
2009 -5.14% -18%
2010 -3.64% -12.1%
2011 -3.49% -13%
2012 -3.79% -12.3%
2013 -1.9% 2.13%
2014 -3.93% -6.27%
2015 -7.56% -7.6%
2016 -7.11% -5.01%
2017 -5.01% -3.11%
2018 -6.66% -2.02%
2019 -6.4% -0.07%
2020 -6.33% 2.94%
2021 -5.24% -1.52%
2022 -10.6% -2.24%
2023 -7.45% -2.17%
2024 -5.02% 0.94%
2025 -6.55% 2.56%

Inflation comparison by year

Over the past 29 years, Burundi has recorded an average annual inflation rate of 11.6%, compared with 16.7% in Sao Tome and Principe. In 2024, inflation was 20.2% in Burundi and 9.7% in Sao Tome and Principe.

Inflation
Burundi

Sao Tome and Principe
Year Inflation
Burundi Sao Tome Burundi Sao Tome
1996 26.4% 42%
1997 31.1% 69%
1998 12.5% 42.1%
1999 3.39% 11%
2000 24.4% 11%
2001 9.3% 9.2%
2002 -1.37% 10.1%
2003 10.6% 9.8%
2004 8.18% 13.3%
2005 13.3% 17.2%
2006 2.75% 23.1%
2007 8.41% 18.6%
2008 24.4% 32%
2009 10.6% 17%
2010 6.49% 13.3%
2011 9.59% 14.3%
2012 18.2% 10.6%
2013 7.94% 8.1%
2014 4.41% 7%
2015 5.54% 6.1%
2016 5.56% 5.4%
2017 16.1% 5.7%
2018 -2.81% 7.9%
2019 -0.69% 7.7%
2020 7.32% 9.8%
2021 8.4% 8.1%
2022 18.8% 18%
2023 26.9% 21.2%
2024 20.2% 14.4%
2025 - 9.7%

Balance of trade

Burundi Sao Tome
Current account balance
-$626M
2023
-$79.4M
2022
Current account balance ranking
107/189
2023
85/189
2022
Current account balance, % of GDP
-23.8%
2023
-14.7%
2022
Goods imports
$1.07B
2023
$165M
2022
Goods exports
$259M
2023
$21.9M
2022
Service imports
$365M
2023
$54.6M
2022
Service exports
$119M
2023
$75.1M
2022
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
24.4%
2023
n/a
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
5.29%
2023
10%
2025

Economic freedom indices

The indices of economic freedom below are issued by the Heritage Foundation. Higher scores indicate stronger economic health.

Burundi Sao Tome
Economic freedom 39.7 60.4
Economic freedom ranking 187/197 93/197
Property rights 28.6 53
Government integrity 14.2 47.7
Judicial effectiveness 7.4 60.6
Tax burden 76.1 88.6
Government spending 71.1 81.5
Fiscal health 12.2 93.6
Business freedom 31.9 52.8
Labor freedom 50 45.2
Monetary freedom 54.4 57.2
Trade freedom 50.8 65
Investment freedom 50 50
Financial freedom 30 30

Economic freedom by year comparison

The Economic Freedom Index for Burundi is 39.7, ranking 187/197, compared to 60.4 for Sao Tome and Principe, ranking 93/197. The chart below displays a comparison of annual changes in economic freedom indexes.

Burundi
Sao Tome and Principe
Year Economic freedom index
Burundi Sao Tome
1997 45.4 -
1998 44.7 -
1999 41.1 -
2000 42.6 -
2001 - -
2002 - -
2003 - -
2004 - -
2005 - -
2006 48.7 -
2007 46.9 -
2008 46.2 -
2009 48.8 43.8
2010 47.5 48.8
2011 49.6 49.5
2012 48.1 50.2
2013 49 48
2014 51.4 48.8
2015 53.7 53.3
2016 53.9 56.7
2017 53.2 55.4
2018 50.9 53.6
2019 48.9 54
2020 49 56.2
2021 49.9 55.9
2022 39.4 60.3
2023 41.9 61.5
2024 38.4 60.5
2025 39.7 60.4

More economic indicators

Burundi Sao Tome
Services, % of GDP
49%
2023
76.6%
2024
Industry, % of GDP
9.63%
2023
2.91%
2024
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP
25.3%
2023
12.8%
2024
GNI, Atlas method
$2.71B
2024
$653M
2024
GNI per capita, PPP
$950
2024
$6,220
2024
Total reserves including gold
$90.3M
2023
$46.2M
2023
Total reserves ranking
174/177
2023
176/177
2023
Net foreign direct investment
-$33M
2023
-$127M
2022
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
$31.7M
2024
$21.9M
2024
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$8.55M
2024
$1.8M
2024
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
1.68%
2023
0.94%
2023
Poverty at national poverty lines
51%
2020
66.2%
2020
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
13.1%
2023
n/a

GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

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The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.

Principal and interest payments to the IMF in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt expressed as a share of GNI.

Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.