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

Updated on by Georank team

Rwanda has a GDP of $14.3B compared to $764M for Sao Tome and Principe, ranking 144/197 and 189/197 by economy size, respectively.

Rwanda has $9.58B in government debt (77.6% 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.

Rwanda
GDP, current $

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

GDP, constant 2015 $
Year GDP
Rwanda Sao Tome
Current $ Constant $ Current $ Constant $
1960 $119,000,024 $1,013,800,020 - -
1961 $122,000,016 $970,231,700 - -
1962 $125,000,008 $1,080,195,804 - -
1963 $128,000,000 $974,115,776 - -
1964 $129,999,994 $852,692,316 - -
1965 $148,799,980 $912,462,033 - -
1966 $124,525,703 $976,415,683 - -
1967 $159,560,018 $1,043,944,763 - -
1968 $172,200,018 $1,117,164,761 - -
1969 $188,700,037 $1,240,135,222 - -
1970 $219,900,006 $1,314,561,010 $37,211,826 $76,468,736
1971 $222,952,504 $1,330,423,038 $37,288,845 $80,579,183
1972 $246,457,838 $1,333,922,959 $41,430,257 $82,425,279
1973 $290,746,157 $1,379,784,406 $56,011,245 $83,737,737
1974 $308,458,423 $1,399,236,932 $57,817,591 $88,497,202
1975 $571,863,500 $1,369,659,506 $60,101,710 $93,256,667
1976 $637,753,853 $1,636,805,801 $52,039,421 $94,785,465
1977 $746,650,613 $1,669,445,501 $49,207,692 $116,981,878
1978 $905,709,076 $1,822,213,801 $55,044,563 $120,371,194
1979 $1,109,346,131 $2,038,508,904 $65,755,928 $140,043,649
1980 $1,254,765,642 $2,220,988,318 $81,662,231 $138,529,274
1981 $1,407,062,527 $2,341,725,674 $83,499,264 $124,241,500
1982 $1,407,243,139 $2,384,130,730 $80,307,763 $128,084,021
1983 $1,479,687,587 $2,526,710,090 $75,110,289 $123,122,082
1984 $1,587,413,084 $2,419,558,044 $78,213,796 $115,697,255
1985 $1,715,626,331 $2,526,085,095 $82,733,069 $126,456,967
1986 $1,944,710,684 $2,664,315,945 $115,928,907 $119,081,847
1987 $2,157,432,668 $2,663,675,547 $115,952,925 $115,592,613
1988 $2,395,492,687 $2,783,509,648 $99,000,764 $117,902,998
1989 $2,405,022,593 $2,782,492,713 $98,545,367 $121,599,629
1990 $2,550,185,679 $2,715,732,613 $119,297,933 $118,982,020
1991 $1,911,600,237 $2,647,448,785 $107,484,143 $120,410,999
1992 $2,029,026,962 $2,802,926,178 $94,861,781 $121,253,872
1993 $1,971,525,712 $2,575,645,531 $125,742,229 $122,587,663
1994 $753,636,370 $1,281,433,436 $131,338,415 $125,284,594
1995 $1,293,535,193 $1,732,806,553 $103,695,237 $127,790,288
1996 $1,382,334,879 $1,953,664,804 $135,188,166 $129,707,144
1997 $1,851,558,197 $2,224,242,544 $91,920,274 $130,999,443
1998 $1,989,343,546 $2,421,280,840 $72,285,404 $134,274,413
1999 $2,157,108,263 $2,526,652,278 $77,302,212 $137,631,282
2000 $2,068,836,754 $2,738,155,711 $76,198,395 $138,248,377
2001 $1,966,600,715 $2,970,476,184 $75,951,133 $142,484,975
2002 $1,966,003,468 $3,362,343,590 $85,171,074 $147,272,738
2003 $2,138,237,279 $3,436,395,425 $102,085,769 $159,483,886
2004 $2,376,496,067 $3,692,326,726 $114,582,284 $165,126,276
2005 $2,933,819,766 $4,038,589,403 $136,450,662 $176,048,759
2006 $3,319,784,539 $4,411,233,107 $142,775,104 $191,657,435
2007 $4,070,507,895 $4,747,955,684 $149,146,919 $198,636,586
2008 $5,179,854,065 $5,277,886,761 $188,021,165 $211,009,232
2009 $5,674,476,969 $5,607,662,717 $200,668,065 $217,977,601
2010 $6,124,756,654 $6,018,965,512 $190,021,192 $221,134,909
2011 $6,884,913,658 $6,497,978,183 $226,455,001 $225,556,351
2012 $7,654,761,045 $7,059,501,498 $229,371,348 $232,194,345
2013 $7,819,964,024 $7,392,699,278 $267,041,748 $244,081,947
2014 $8,238,966,120 $7,848,619,326 $293,119,143 $256,057,121
2015 $8,543,760,206 $8,543,760,206 $259,999,643 $259,999,643
2016 $8,695,272,061 $9,053,886,363 $292,267,272 $273,459,369
2017 $9,252,833,894 $9,408,633,107 $322,002,845 $284,706,697
2018 $9,637,904,519 $10,209,916,262 $383,717,328 $297,171,521
2019 $10,349,300,277 $11,174,486,378 $412,976,083 $303,157,496
2020 $10,174,386,855 $10,797,494,132 $471,229,485 $311,114,955
2021 $11,078,787,095 $11,969,932,692 $524,402,456 $317,023,958
2022 $13,316,161,006 $12,946,823,702 $540,809,499 $317,558,772
2023 $14,331,722,700 $14,014,924,102 $678,976,265 $318,740,894
2024 $14,251,642,231 $15,260,942,693 $764,274,043 $321,609,564

Economic indicators

Rwanda Sao Tome
Gross domestic product
$14.3B
2024
$764M
2024
GDP rank
144/197
2024
189/197
2024
GDP growth
-0.56%
2023-2024
12.6%
2023-2024
GDP per capita
$1,000
2024
$3,245
2024
GDP per capita rank
177/197
2024
138/197
2024
GDP per capita, PPP
$3,711
2024
$6,230
2024
Government debt
$9.58B
2024
$332M
2024
Debt-to-GDP ratio
77.6%
2025
37.3%
2025
Government debt per person
$672
2024
$1,410
2024
Government debt per person rank
156/185
2024
133/185
2024
Average annual personal income after taxes
$2,587
2025
$2,715
2025
Market capitalization of domestic companies
$2.75B
2024
n/a
Income share by richest 10%
33.4%
2023
32.8%
2017
Income share by poorest 10%
3.1%
2023
2.6%
2017
Government expenditure, % of GDP
27.4%
2025
24.5%
2025
Consumer prices inflation
1.77%
2023-2024
9.7%
2024-2025
Central bank interest rate
6.75%
2025
n/a
Unemployment rate
11.3%
2024
8.81%
2017
Population
14826674
244055

GDP per capita in Rwanda vs Sao Tome and Principe

Rwanda's GDP per capita is $1,000, ranking 177/197, compared to $3,245 in Sao Tome and Principe, ranking 138/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), Rwanda ranks 168th at $3,711, while Sao Tome and Principe ranks 151st at $6,230.

Rwanda
GDP per capita

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

GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
Rwanda Sao Tome
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1960 $39.4 - - -
1961 $39.3 - - -
1962 $39.2 - - -
1963 $39.3 - - -
1964 $39 - - -
1965 $43.5 - - -
1966 $35.4 - - -
1967 $44 - - -
1968 $46 - - -
1969 $48.9 - - -
1970 $55.2 - $479 -
1971 $54.4 - $470 -
1972 $58.4 - $511 -
1973 $66.9 - $676 -
1974 $68.9 - $683 -
1975 $124.1 - $693 -
1976 $134.4 - $585 -
1977 $152.7 - $539 -
1978 $179.9 - $587 -
1979 $213.8 - $683 -
1980 $234.4 - $829 -
1981 $254.6 - $830 -
1982 $246.4 - $783 -
1983 $250.6 - $720 -
1984 $259.9 - $735 -
1985 $271.6 - $761 -
1986 $297.7 - $1,043 -
1987 $320 - $1,018 -
1988 $344 - $847 -
1989 $335 - $821 -
1990 $346 $549 $970 $1,504
1991 $254 $542 $855 $1,540
1992 $264.1 $575 $740 $1,556
1993 $247 $521 $964 $1,581
1994 $111 $311 $990 $1,623
1995 $228 $514 $769 $1,663
1996 $206 $499 $987 $1,693
1997 $238.7 $500 $662 $1,714
1998 $246.2 $528 $514 $1,754
1999 $264.7 $554 $543 $1,802
2000 $251.9 $609 $529 $1,830
2001 $237.3 $670 $519 $1,898
2002 $234 $760 $568 $1,945
2003 $249 $775 $664 $2,094
2004 $269.5 $832 $727 $2,171
2005 $324 $914 $844 $2,329
2006 $357 $1,002 $862 $2,551
2007 $426 $1,079 $879 $2,650
2008 $528 $1,191 $1,082 $2,802
2009 $564 $1,241 $1,128 $2,846
2010 $594 $1,314 $1,045 $2,859
2011 $651 $1,413 $1,220 $2,914
2012 $707 $1,455 $1,211 $2,695
2013 $705 $1,512 $1,383 $2,946
2014 $725 $1,678 $1,490 $3,233
2015 $734 $1,781 $1,298 $3,172
2016 $730 $1,866 $1,435 $3,320
2017 $758 $1,968 $1,556 $3,436
2018 $772 $2,125 $1,826 $3,941
2019 $810 $2,336 $1,935 $4,655
2020 $779 $2,285 $2,167 $5,145
2021 $830 $2,733 $2,363 $5,733
2022 $975 $3,099 $2,390 $6,034
2023 $1,027 $3,399 $2,941 $6,150
2024 $1,000 $3,711 $3,245 $6,230

Spending and national debt comparison

In 2024, Rwanda's government spending was $4.1B, accounting for 27.4% of its GDP, while Sao Tome and Principe's spent $148M, or 24.5% of GDP.

Debt-to-GDP ratio is 77.6% in Rwanda and 37.3% in Sao Tome and Principe, ranking 46/185 and 141/185, respectively.

Rwanda
Government spending

Government debt
Sao Tome and Principe
Government spending

Government debt
Year % of GDP
Rwanda Sao Tome
Government spending Government debt Government spending Government debt
1992 21.5% - - -
1993 20.3% - - -
1994 13.3% - - -
1995 18% 100.8% - -
1996 19.5% 83.4% - -
1997 17% 72.2% - -
1998 16.4% 70.1% - -
1999 22.4% 78.4% - -
2000 18.2% 86% 10.7% -
2001 19.1% 84% 52.8% 418%
2002 20.5% 92% 44.3% 367%
2003 18.5% 79.5% 51.9% 329%
2004 17.9% 80.9% 60.6% 354%
2005 19.9% 58.9% 43.7% 334%
2006 20.6% 22.5% 32.5% 283.2%
2007 22.4% 22.1% 38.9% 110.1%
2008 22.5% 18.3% 30.4% 60.7%
2009 22.3% 18.5% 48.6% 70.3%
2010 23.8% 18.8% 51.7% 83%
2011 24.7% 18.7% 53.4% 86%
2012 24.6% 19.1% 50.5% 86.3%
2013 26.2% 26.7% 35.5% 77.1%
2014 27.5% 29.1% 36% 67.4%
2015 26.6% 33.1% 41.6% 84.3%
2016 25.1% 41.1% 38.3% 81.7%
2017 25.1% 45.6% 31.9% 74.7%
2018 26.4% 49.2% 28% 71.5%
2019 28.2% 53.6% 22.8% 76.4%
2020 33.5% 68.7% 23.2% 70.8%
2021 31.6% 67.3% 25.6% 59.2%
2022 29.7% 60.9% 27.7% 55.1%
2023 27% 63.4% 24.3% 44.7%
2024 28.8% 67.2% 19.3% 43.5%
2025 27.4% 77.6% 24.5% 37.3%

Government deficit by year

In 2024, Rwanda's government deficit, the difference between spending and revenue, was -$936M, equivalent to -6.57% of GDP. This compares to Sao Tome and Principe's surplus of $7.16M, or 0.94% of GDP.

Over the past 25 years, Rwanda recorded a fiscal deficit in 21 of those years, while Sao Tome and Principe ran a deficit in 17 years. On average, Rwanda posted an annual deficit equal to -2.42% of GDP, compared to surplus of +3.63% of GDP for Sao Tome and Principe.

Deficit/surplus
Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe
Year Deficit/surplus, % of GDP
Rwanda Sao Tome
1992 -7.21% -
1993 -6.6% -
1994 -9.54% -
1995 -2.04% -
1996 -5.01% -
1997 -2.22% -
1998 -2.59% -
1999 -4.41% -
2000 -0.22% 51.5%
2001 -1.8% -13.5%
2002 -2.03% -10.4%
2003 -1.23% -15.9%
2004 2.27% -25.1%
2005 1.12% 26.8%
2006 -0.03% 18%
2007 -1.56% 125.1%
2008 0.83% 13.6%
2009 0.26% -18%
2010 -0.64% -12.1%
2011 -0.86% -13%
2012 -2.38% -12.3%
2013 -1.27% 2.13%
2014 -3.92% -6.27%
2015 -2.68% -7.6%
2016 -2.27% -5.01%
2017 -2.52% -3.11%
2018 -2.57% -2.02%
2019 -5.08% -0.07%
2020 -9.54% 2.94%
2021 -7% -1.52%
2022 -5.74% -2.24%
2023 -5.04% -2.17%
2024 -6.57% 0.94%
2025 -6.29% 2.56%

Inflation comparison by year

Over the past 29 years, Rwanda has recorded an average annual inflation rate of 6.85%, compared with 16.7% in Sao Tome and Principe. In 2024, inflation was 1.77% in Rwanda and 9.7% in Sao Tome and Principe.

Inflation
Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe
Year Inflation
Rwanda Sao Tome Rwanda Sao Tome
1996 7.41% 42%
1997 12% 69%
1998 6.21% 42.1%
1999 -2.41% 11%
2000 3.9% 11%
2001 3.34% 9.2%
2002 1.99% 10.1%
2003 7.45% 9.8%
2004 12.3% 13.3%
2005 9.01% 17.2%
2006 8.88% 23.1%
2007 9.08% 18.6%
2008 15.4% 32%
2009 12.9% 17%
2010 -0.25% 13.3%
2011 3.08% 14.3%
2012 10.3% 10.6%
2013 5.92% 8.1%
2014 2.35% 7%
2015 2.53% 6.1%
2016 7.17% 5.4%
2017 8.28% 5.7%
2018 -0.31% 7.9%
2019 3.35% 7.7%
2020 9.85% 9.8%
2021 -0.39% 8.1%
2022 17.7% 18%
2023 19.8% 21.2%
2024 1.77% 14.4%
2025 - 9.7%

Balance of trade

Rwanda Sao Tome
Current account balance
-$1.65B
2023
-$79.4M
2022
Current account balance ranking
136/189
2023
85/189
2022
Current account balance, % of GDP
-11.5%
2023
-14.7%
2022
Goods imports
$4.83B
2023
$165M
2022
Goods exports
$2.47B
2023
$21.9M
2022
Service imports
$948M
2023
$54.6M
2022
Service exports
$1.04B
2023
$75.1M
2022
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
39.1%
2024
n/a
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
30.8%
2024
10%
2025

Economic freedom indices

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

Rwanda Sao Tome
Economic freedom 54.8 60.4
Economic freedom ranking 133/197 93/197
Property rights 62 53
Government integrity 50.5 47.7
Judicial effectiveness 27.1 60.6
Tax burden 81.3 88.6
Government spending 73.8 81.5
Fiscal health 35 93.6
Business freedom 56.8 52.8
Labor freedom 48.7 45.2
Monetary freedom 67.3 57.2
Trade freedom 55.2 65
Investment freedom 60 50
Financial freedom 40 30

Economic freedom by year comparison

The Economic Freedom Index for Rwanda is 54.8, ranking 133/197, 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.

Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Year Economic freedom index
Rwanda Sao Tome
1997 38.3 -
1998 39.1 -
1999 39.8 -
2000 42.3 -
2001 45.4 -
2002 50.4 -
2003 47.8 -
2004 53.3 -
2005 51.7 -
2006 52.8 -
2007 52.4 -
2008 54.2 -
2009 54.2 43.8
2010 59.1 48.8
2011 62.7 49.5
2012 64.9 50.2
2013 64.1 48
2014 64.7 48.8
2015 64.8 53.3
2016 63.1 56.7
2017 67.6 55.4
2018 69.1 53.6
2019 71.1 54
2020 70.9 56.2
2021 68.3 55.9
2022 57.1 60.3
2023 52.2 61.5
2024 51.6 60.5
2025 54.8 60.4

More economic indicators

Rwanda Sao Tome
Services, % of GDP
47.6%
2024
76.6%
2024
Industry, % of GDP
21%
2024
2.91%
2024
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP
24.6%
2024
12.8%
2024
GNI, Atlas method
$14.8B
2024
$653M
2024
GNI per capita, PPP
$3,620
2024
$6,220
2024
Total reserves including gold
$2.41B
2024
$46.2M
2023
Total reserves ranking
123/177
2024
176/177
2023
Net foreign direct investment
-$459M
2023
-$127M
2022
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
$819M
2024
$21.9M
2024
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$9.86M
2024
$1.8M
2024
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
3.88%
2023
0.94%
2023
Poverty at national poverty lines
27.4%
2023
66.2%
2020
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
25.9%
2024
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.