External debt, end year (current US$) by country
Foreign debt consists of the outstanding stock or recognized, direct liabilities of the government to the rest of the world, generated in the past and scheduled to be extinguished by government operations in the future or to continue as perpetual debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.
What the numbers show
External debt, end year (current US$) is currently reported for 42 countries. The highest value is 10.52 trillion current US$ in Tanzania; the lowest is 0 current US$ in Angola.
The median across all reporting countries is 2.05 billion current US$, and the mean is 286.51 billion current US$.
Over the past decade 24 countries rose and 18 fell. The largest increase was in Mauritania (up 1,134.3%), and the largest decrease in Chad (down 100.0%).
External debt, end year: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanzania | 10.52 trillion current US$ | 2011 | up 40.9% | volatile |
| 2 | Senegal | 1.31 trillion current US$ | 2011 | down 41.7% | falling |
| 3 | Nigeria | 31.26 billion current US$ | 2001 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 4 | Egypt | 27.58 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 11.3% | rising |
| 5 | Sudan | 27.40 billion current US$ | 2002 | up 77.3% | rising |
| 6 | Morocco | 13.88 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 45.1% | volatile |
| 7 | Tunisia | 13.35 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 28.3% | volatile |
| 8 | South Africa | 13.32 billion current US$ | 2008 | up 13.9% | volatile |
| 9 | Ghana | 11.65 billion current US$ | 2010 | up 82.2% | volatile |
| 10 | Cote d'Ivoire | 11.13 billion current US$ | 2005 | down 28.6% | rising |
| 11 | Algeria | 8.52 billion current US$ | 1999 | up 926.2% | volatile |
| 12 | Ethiopia | 7.20 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 28.3% | volatile |
| 13 | Zimbabwe | 5.83 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 123.9% | volatile |
| 14 | Zambia | 4.34 billion current US$ | 2002 | down 23.7% | rising |
| 15 | Mozambique | 3.34 billion current US$ | 2011 | down 30.8% | falling |
| 16 | Malawi | 2.90 billion current US$ | 2009 | up 5.6% | volatile |
| 17 | Uganda | 2.86 billion current US$ | 2011 | down 15.9% | rising |
| 18 | Botswana | 2.65 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 653.2% | volatile |
| 19 | Guinea | 2.53 billion current US$ | 2008 | down 16.1% | falling |
| 20 | Burkina Faso | 2.41 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 72.8% | rising |
| 21 | Gabon | 2.09 billion current US$ | 2008 | down 48.1% | rising |
| 22 | Burundi | 2.00 billion current US$ | 2004 | up 81.5% | volatile |
| 23 | Mauritius | 1.42 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 57.1% | rising |
| 24 | Cameroon | 1.36 billion current US$ | 2009 | down 81.8% | rising |
| 25 | Mauritania | 1.30 billion current US$ | 1983 | up 1,134.3% | volatile |
| 26 | Togo | 1.22 billion current US$ | 1993 | up 43.7% | rising |
| 27 | Rwanda | 971.19 million current US$ | 2011 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 28 | Madagascar | 866.92 million current US$ | 1996 | up 55.9% | rising |
| 29 | Eritrea | 716.88 million current US$ | 2007 | up 850.1% | volatile |
| 30 | Lesotho | 711.58 million current US$ | 2011 | up 23.0% | rising |
| 31 | Namibia | 650.24 million current US$ | 2011 | up 676.3% | volatile |
| 32 | Eswatini | 362.06 million current US$ | 2011 | up 38.1% | rising |
| 33 | Comoros | 256.78 million current US$ | 2008 | up 35.1% | rising |
| 34 | Central African Republic | 202.54 million current US$ | 2009 | down 79.0% | rising |
| 35 | Sierra Leone | 108.24 million current US$ | 2007 | down 90.5% | volatile |
| 36 | Congo | 3.03 million current US$ | 2011 | down 58.8% | volatile |
| 37 | Cape Verde | 200.53 current US$ | 2011 | up 322.9% | volatile |
| 38 | Chad | 1.86 current US$ | 2007 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 39 | Equatorial Guinea | 0 current US$ | 2003 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 39 | Kenya | 0 current US$ | 2011 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 39 | Mali | 0 current US$ | 2008 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 39 | Angola | 0 current US$ | 1997 | down 100.0% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Africa 11.91 trillion current US$
- Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa and Nigeria 11.86 trillion current US$
- Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa 11.86 trillion current US$
- Sub-Saharan Africa 11.86 trillion current US$
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 11.86 trillion current US$
- North Africa 54.82 billion current US$
About this data
Foreign debt consists of the outstanding stock or recognized, direct liabilities of the government to the rest of the world, generated in the past and scheduled to be extinguished by government operations in the future or to continue as perpetual debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.