External debt, end year (current US$) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: External debt, end year (current US$) was 11.86 trillion current US$ in 2011. ◆ Volatile
External debt, end year in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1966–2011
Source: World Bank country economists. Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 11.86 trillion current US$ for external debt, end year in 2011. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.8% on the previous year and up 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt, end year in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 11.86 trillion current US$ in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.28 billion current US$, in 1966.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External debt, end year (current US$) in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 1.28 billion current US$ | — |
| 1967 | 2.23 billion current US$ | +74.6% |
| 1968 | 2.48 billion current US$ | +11.3% |
| 1969 | 2.54 billion current US$ | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 3.54 billion current US$ | +39.1% |
| 1971 | 4.07 billion current US$ | +14.9% |
| 1972 | 4.32 billion current US$ | +6.2% |
| 1973 | 4.92 billion current US$ | +13.8% |
| 1974 | 5.36 billion current US$ | +9.0% |
| 1975 | 5.16 billion current US$ | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 5.85 billion current US$ | +13.5% |
| 1977 | 6.49 billion current US$ | +10.8% |
| 1978 | 7.41 billion current US$ | +14.2% |
| 1979 | 5.90 billion current US$ | -20.3% |
| 1980 | 8.75 billion current US$ | +48.2% |
| 1981 | 9.87 billion current US$ | +12.8% |
| 1982 | 10.20 billion current US$ | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 11.20 billion current US$ | +9.8% |
| 1984 | 18.00 billion current US$ | +60.7% |
| 1985 | 25.84 billion current US$ | +43.6% |
| 1986 | 31.24 billion current US$ | +20.9% |
| 1987 | 38.29 billion current US$ | +22.6% |
| 1988 | 42.37 billion current US$ | +10.7% |
| 1989 | 47.49 billion current US$ | +12.1% |
| 1990 | 62.46 billion current US$ | +31.5% |
| 1991 | 82.79 billion current US$ | +32.6% |
| 1992 | 90.38 billion current US$ | +9.2% |
| 1993 | 97.17 billion current US$ | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 1.88 trillion current US$ | +1831.9% |
| 1995 | 1.87 trillion current US$ | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 2.04 trillion current US$ | +9.0% |
| 1997 | 2.14 trillion current US$ | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 2.22 trillion current US$ | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 2.31 trillion current US$ | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 9.77 trillion current US$ | +322.6% |
| 2001 | 9.84 trillion current US$ | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 9.66 trillion current US$ | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 9.97 trillion current US$ | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 10.09 trillion current US$ | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 10.25 trillion current US$ | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 5.67 trillion current US$ | -44.7% |
| 2007 | 6.97 trillion current US$ | +22.9% |
| 2008 | 8.15 trillion current US$ | +16.9% |
| 2009 | 9.48 trillion current US$ | +16.4% |
| 2010 | 10.70 trillion current US$ | +12.9% |
| 2011 | 11.86 trillion current US$ | +10.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External debt, end year (current US$) in Sub-Saharan Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +1831.9% | 97.17 billion current US$ | 1.88 trillion current US$ |
| 2000 | +322.6% | 2.31 trillion current US$ | 9.77 trillion current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.13 billion current US$ | 1.28 billion current US$ | 2.54 billion current US$ | 4 |
| 1970s | 5.30 billion current US$ | 3.54 billion current US$ | 7.41 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.32 billion current US$ | 8.75 billion current US$ | 47.49 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.28 trillion current US$ | 62.46 billion current US$ | 2.31 trillion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.98 trillion current US$ | 5.67 trillion current US$ | 10.25 trillion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.28 trillion current US$ | 10.70 trillion current US$ | 11.86 trillion current US$ | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More science & technology data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 9,805 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 9,805 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, per capita 0 units per person (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, per square kilometre 0.0005 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 48,022 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per square kilometre 0.002 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index -1.24 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt, end year in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- External debt, end year in Sub-Saharan Africa was 11.86 trillion current US$ in 2011, according to World Bank country economists.
- What is the highest external debt, end year recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 11.86 trillion current US$ in 2011.
- What is the lowest external debt, end year recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.28 billion current US$ in 1966.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for external debt, end year?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is external debt, end year rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank country economists, published as part of External debt, end year (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.