Bosnia and Herzegovina: External debt stocks (% of GNI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina's external debt stocks (% of GNI) fell 1.4 percentage points on 2023 (from 50.55% to 49.16%).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2023), the average change was +0.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.77 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 10.46 percentage points in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 16.23 percentage points in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2.45 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 81% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina had the 43rd highest value of the 110 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 2024 ranking

• Liberia — 39th of 110: 50.46%
• Ecuador — 40th of 110: 49.75%
• Colombia — 41st of 110: 49.2%
• Côte d'Ivoire — 43rd of 110: 48.83%
• Burkina Faso — 44th of 110: 48.76%
• Tanzania — 45th of 110: 47.32%

What this measures

Total external debt stocks to gross national income. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. GNI (formerly GNP) is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 26 values

External debt stocks (% of GNI) in nearby economies

• Albania — 39.72% (2024)
• Armenia — 65.99% (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 17.04% (2024)
• Belarus — 46.15% (2024)
• Bulgaria — 55.14% (2022)
• Georgia — 79.68% (2024)
• Kazakhstan — 62.6% (2024)
• Kosovo — 38.61% (2024)
• Kyrgyz Republic — 69.25% (2024)
• Moldova — 57.15% (2024)
• Montenegro — 108.64% (2024)

More economic policy & debt data for Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Adjusted savings, mineral depletion (current US$) — US$7.31 million (2021)
• GDP (current US$) — US$32.6 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 56.55 billion (2025)
• GDP, linked series (current LCU) — 56.55 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$21.8 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 43.87 billion (2025)
• GDP, PPP (current international $) — 81.06 billion (2025)
• GDP, PPP (constant 2021 international $) — 66.5 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$10,382 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Bosnia and Herzegovina's external debt stocks (% of GNI)?

49.16% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is up 4.67 percentage points from 44.49% in 1999. The highest value was 82.25% in 2010 and the lowest 42.49% in 2001.

How does Bosnia and Herzegovina rank?

43rd highest of 110 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in external debt stocks (% of GNI) unusual for Bosnia and Herzegovina?

In 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina's external debt stocks (% of GNI) fell 1.4 percentage points on 2023 (from 50.55% to 49.16%). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2023), the average change was +0.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.77 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.DOD.DECT.GN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.