Low income: Short-term debt (% of total external debt)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Low income's short-term debt (% of total external debt) fell 0.16 percentage points on 2023 (from 4.67% to 4.52%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.37 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.38 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 3.72 percentage points in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.89 percentage points in 2002. 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 0.28 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 50% 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

Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. 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.

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

All 55 values

Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 13.24% (2024)
• Algeria — 25.46% (2024)
• Djibouti — 14.99% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 19.87% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 23.67% (2024)
• Iraq — 4.15% (2024)
• Jordan — 38.11% (2024)
• Lebanon — 28.26% (2024)
• Morocco — 11.04% (2024)
• Pakistan — 7.41% (2024)

More economic policy & debt data for Low income

• GDP (current US$) — US$642.67 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$837.36 (2025)
• GNI (current US$) — US$627.91 billion (2025)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Austria (current US$) — US$57.58 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Belgium (current US$) — US$350.05 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Canada (current US$) — US$677.23 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, European Union institutions (current US$) — US$3.08 billion (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Switzerland (current US$) — US$483.76 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Germany (current US$)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Low income's short-term debt (% of total external debt)?

4.52% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 0.48 percentage points from 5% in 1970. The highest value was 19.56% in 1999 and the lowest 4.52% in 2024.

Is the latest change in short-term debt (% of total external debt) unusual for Low income?

In 2024, Low income's short-term debt (% of total external debt) fell 0.16 percentage points on 2023 (from 4.67% to 4.52%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.37 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.38 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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.DOD.DSTC.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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