Iran, Islamic Rep.: External debt stocks (% of GNI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s external debt stocks (% of GNI) fell 0.24 percentage points on 2023 (from 2.45% to 2.21%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −1.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above 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 23.27 percentage points in 1993 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.68 percentage points in 1996. 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 upward, about 0.14 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 66% 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, Iran, Islamic Rep. had the 111th 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 Iran, Islamic Rep. in the 2024 ranking

• Turkmenistan — 107th of 110: 5.22%
• Haiti — 108th of 110: 3.74%
• Algeria — 109th of 110: 2.67%

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 45 values

External debt stocks (% of GNI) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 19.89% (2023)
• Algeria — 2.67% (2024)
• Djibouti — 83.83% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 41.98% (2024)
• Iraq — 6.23% (2024)
• Jordan — 90.14% (2024)
• Lebanon — 331.65% (2023)
• Morocco — 44.72% (2024)
• Pakistan — 35.63% (2024)
• Syrian Arab Republic — 25.33% (2023)
• Tunisia — 77.7% (2024)

More economic policy & debt data for Iran, Islamic Rep.

• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$48.21 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 35,797.6 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$68.4 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 10,151.5 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 13.29% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$194.65 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 144,548 trillion (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Iran, Islamic Rep.'s external debt stocks (% of GNI)?

2.21% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is down 2.64 percentage points from 4.85% in 1980. The highest value was 36.69% in 1993 and the lowest 1.15% in 2012.

How does Iran, Islamic Rep. rank?

111th highest of 110 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in external debt stocks (% of GNI) unusual for Iran, Islamic Rep.?

In 2024, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s external debt stocks (% of GNI) fell 0.24 percentage points on 2023 (from 2.45% to 2.21%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −1.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above 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.

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