Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)'s total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) rose 1.92 percentage points on 2023 (from 11.83% to 13.75%).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2023), the average change was −0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.48 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 5.51 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.6 percentage points in 2007. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 18% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

What this measures

Total debt service to exports of goods, services and primary income. Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.

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

All 23 values

Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 2.67% (2020)
• Algeria — 0.8% (2024)
• Djibouti — 2.53% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 49.23% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 0.28% (2024)
• Iraq — 2.96% (2024)
• Jordan — 18.15% (2024)
• Lebanon — 21.05% (2024)
• Morocco

More economic policy & debt data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$294.27 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$341.05 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 13.8% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$1.46 trillion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 68.25% (2025)
• Final consumption expenditure (current US$)

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Questions people ask

What is Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)'s total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)?

13.75% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2002?

It is down 0.17 percentage points from 13.92% in 2002. The highest value was 18.29% in 2020 and the lowest 5.56% in 2008.

Is the latest change in total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) unusual for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?

In 2024, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)'s total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) rose 1.92 percentage points on 2023 (from 11.83% to 13.75%). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2023), the average change was −0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.48 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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.TDS.DECT.EX.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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