Lebanon: Debt service to exports (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Lebanon's debt service to exports (%) rose 0.69 percentage points on 2022 (from 1.21% to 1.91%).

Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2022), the average change was −1.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.01 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 8.18 percentage points in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 20.35 percentage points in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2.47 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 60% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Lebanon in the 2023 ranking

• Senegal — 1st of 5: 18.43%
• Benin — 2nd of 5: 16.44%
• Comoros — 3rd of 5: 11.54%
• Guyana — 5th of 5: 0.81%

What this measures

Debt service, the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services, is expressed as a percentage of exports of goods and services--all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from residents to nonresidents of general merchandise, net exports of goods under merchanting, nonmonetary gold, and services. This series differs from the standard debt to exports series in that it covers only long-term public and publicly guaranteed debt and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.

All 22 values

Debt service to exports (%) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 2.24% (2020)
• Algeria — 0.47% (2024)
• Djibouti — 2.03% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 45.97% (2024)
• Iraq — 2.92% (2024)
• Jordan — 9.97% (2024)
• Morocco — 10.85% (2024)
• Pakistan — 32.78% (2024)
• Tunisia — 19.67% (2024)
• Yemen, Rep. — 14.51% (2016)

More economic policy & debt data for Lebanon

• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$33.3 billion (2024)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$9.24 billion (2024)
• Grants, excluding technical cooperation (BoP, current US$) — US$1.42 billion (2023)
• Technical cooperation grants (BoP, current US$) — US$330.71 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Total (current US$) — US$1.43 billion (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (current US$) — US$1.75 billion (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (constant 2023 US$) — US$1.75 billion (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (current US$) — US$1.75 billion (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Lebanon's debt service to exports (%)?

1.91% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2002?

It is down 26.93 percentage points from 28.84% in 2002. The highest value was 31.55% in 2004 and the lowest 1.21% in 2022.

Is the latest change in debt service to exports (%) unusual for Lebanon?

In 2023, Lebanon's debt service to exports (%) rose 0.69 percentage points on 2022 (from 1.21% to 1.91%). Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2022), the average change was −1.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.01 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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.TDS.DPPF.XP.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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