Ethiopia: External debt stocks (% of GNI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Ethiopia's external debt stocks (% of GNI) fell 4.65 percentage points on 2021 (from 28.91% to 24.26%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was −1.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 17.08 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 35.04 percentage points in 1994 and the biggest yearly fall was 59.3 percentage points in 1999. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 4% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Ethiopia in the 2022 ranking

• Bulgaria — 1st of 3: 55.14%
• Russian Federation — 3rd of 3: 16.76%

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 53 values

External debt stocks (% of GNI) in nearby economies

• Angola — 79.57% (2024)
• Benin — 66.55% (2024)
• Botswana — 11.93% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 48.76% (2024)
• Burundi — 47.13% (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 86.89% (2024)
• Cameroon — 31.29% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 35.85% (2024)
• Chad — 16.4% (2024)
• Comoros — 24.81% (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 18.25% (2024)

More economic policy & debt data for Ethiopia

• GDP (current US$) — US$126.36 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 15.09 trillion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$932.73 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 111,421 (2025)
• GNI (current US$) — US$126.14 billion (2025)
• GNI (current LCU) — 15.07 trillion (2025)
• GNI per capita (current LCU) — 111,231 (2025)
• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$3.78 billion (2024)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$3.78 billion (2024)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$128.07 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Ethiopia's external debt stocks (% of GNI)?

24.26% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 18.69 percentage points from 5.57% in 1970. The highest value was 143.56% in 1994 and the lowest 5.57% in 1970.

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

In 2022, Ethiopia's external debt stocks (% of GNI) fell 4.65 percentage points on 2021 (from 28.91% to 24.26%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was −1.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 17.08 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.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).

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.

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