Low & middle income: External debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Low & middle income's external debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$) rose 0.8% on 2023 (from US$6.12 trillion to US$6.17 trillion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +6.2% and a typical year strayed about 4.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 24% in 1978 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.4% in 2005. 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 US$226.72 billion a year. A straight line explains 91% 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.

What this measures

Long-term debt is debt that has an original or extended maturity of more than one year. It has three components: public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

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

All 55 values

External debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — US$1.81 billion (2024)
• Algeria — US$1.13 billion (2024)
• Djibouti — US$2.84 billion (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$109.86 billion (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — US$1.05 billion (2024)
• Iraq — US$13.23 billion (2024)
• Jordan — US$26.42 billion (2024)
• Lebanon — US$47.3 billion (2024)
• Morocco — US$57.2 billion (2024)
• Pakistan

More economic policy & debt data for Low & middle income

• Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) — US$117.53 billion (2025)
• Portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$9.26 billion (2025)
• Exports of goods and services (current US$) — US$10.48 trillion (2025)
• Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) — 25.26% (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (current US$) — US$10.1 trillion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) — 24.34% (2025)
• External balance on goods and services (% of GDP) — 0.92% (2025)
• Trade (% of GDP) — 48.51% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Low & middle income's external debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$)?

US$6.17 trillion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 10,954% from US$55.82 billion in 1970 (9.1% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$6.17 trillion in 2024 and the lowest US$55.82 billion in 1970.

Is the latest change in external debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$) unusual for Low & middle income?

In 2024, Low & middle income's external debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$) rose 0.8% on 2023 (from US$6.12 trillion to US$6.17 trillion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +6.2% and a typical year strayed about 4.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.DOD.DLXF.CD, 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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