Malawi's external debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$) was US$3 billion in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 119.76% from US$1.37 billion in 2014 (8.19% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$3 billion | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | US$2.02 billion | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | US$1.37 billion | 2014 |
| Highest | US$3.3 billion | 2004 |
| Lowest | US$135.21 million | 1970 |
| Average since 2015 | US$2.18 billion | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | US$135.21 million |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Malawi's external debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$) rose 4.5% on 2023 (from US$2.88 billion to US$3 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +4.3% and a typical year strayed about 17.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 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 33.3% in 1978 and the biggest yearly fall was 75% in 2006. 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$175.05 million a year. A straight line explains 99% 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.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about US$3.41 billion for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was US$166.9 million, against US$429.68 million for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2024, Malawi had the 85th highest value of the 118 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Malawi | US$3 billion | 2024 |
| Low income | US$206.92 billion | 2024 |
Closest to Malawi in the 2024 ranking
- Syrian Arab Republic — 82nd of 118: US$3.41 billion
- Bhutan — 83rd of 118: US$3.37 billion
- Guyana — 84th of 118: US$3.28 billion
- Turkmenistan — 86th of 118: US$2.9 billion
- Djibouti — 87th of 118: US$2.84 billion
- Fiji — 88th of 118: US$2.61 billion
What this measures
Long-term debt is debt that has an original or extended maturity of more than one year. It has three components: public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 55 values
| Year | External debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 3,003,754,814 |
| 2023 | 2,875,781,584 |
| 2022 | 2,545,818,452 |
| 2021 | 2,378,770,188 |
| 2020 | 2,255,361,100 |
| 2019 | 2,019,667,215 |
| 2018 | 1,926,246,506 |
| 2017 | 1,789,808,894 |
| 2016 | 1,508,121,929 |
| 2015 | 1,455,186,496 |
External debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$) in nearby economies
- Angola — US$47.86 billion (2024)
- Benin — US$11.71 billion (2024)
- Botswana — US$1.85 billion (2024)
- Burkina Faso — US$10.19 billion (2024)
- Burundi — US$601.23 million (2024)
- Cabo Verde — US$1.85 billion (2024)
- Cameroon — US$12.79 billion (2024)
- Central African Republic — US$438.78 million (2024)
- Chad — US$2.44 billion (2024)
- Comoros
More economic policy & debt data for Malawi
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$) — US$6.68 billion (2025)
- Services, value added (constant LCU) — 4.34 trillion (2025)
- Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (constant 2015 US$) — US$11.42 billion (2025)
- Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (constant LCU) — 7.6 trillion (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$12.18 billion (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU) — 8.09 trillion (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$548.16 (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 364,283 (2025)
- Services, value added (annual % growth) — 2.15% (2025)
- GDP (annual % growth) — 1.89% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Malawi's external debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$)?
- US$3 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1970?
- It is up 2,122% from US$135.21 million in 1970 (5.91% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$3.3 billion in 2004 and the lowest US$135.21 million in 1970.
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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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