Sierra Leone's external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) was US$173.9 million in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 18.61% from US$213.65 million in 2014 (2.04% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$173.9 million | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | US$186.5 million | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | US$213.65 million | 2014 |
| Highest | US$221 million | 2012 |
| Lowest | US$0 | 1970 |
| Average since 2015 | US$184.91 million | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | US$0 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Sierra Leone's external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) rose US$15.31 million on 2023 (from US$158.59 million to US$173.9 million).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +US$199,817 and a typical year strayed about US$44.56 million 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 US$186 million in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was US$136.45 million in 1994. 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 US$5.05 million a year. A straight line explains 82% 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
In 2024, Sierra Leone had the 82nd 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra Leone | US$173.9 million | 2024 |
| Low income | US$10.95 billion | 2024 |
Closest to Sierra Leone in the 2024 ranking
- Montenegro — 78th of 118: US$235.21 million
- Azerbaijan — 79th of 118: US$218.43 million
- Mauritania — 80th of 118: US$213.34 million
- Dominica — 82nd of 118: US$173.67 million
- Guatemala — 83rd of 118: US$170.7 million
- Maldives — 84th of 118: US$159.81 million
What this measures
Short-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original maturity of one year or less. Available data permit no distinction between public and private nonguaranteed short-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 55 values
| Year | External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 173,895,710 |
| 2023 | 158,586,365 |
| 2022 | 161,630,000 |
| 2021 | 186,107,229 |
| 2020 | 183,938,000 |
| 2019 | 186,500,000 |
| 2018 | 188,500,000 |
| 2017 | 195,050,000 |
| 2016 | 200,955,066 |
| 2015 | 213,930,929 |
External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) in nearby economies
- Angola — US$5.81 billion (2024)
- Benin — US$1.27 billion (2024)
- Botswana — US$144.67 million (2024)
- Burkina Faso — US$0 (2024)
- Burundi — US$2.65 million (2024)
- Cabo Verde — US$388.09 million (2024)
- Cameroon — US$950.9 million (2024)
- Central African Republic — US$126.47 million (2024)
- Chad — US$29.49 million (2024)
- Comoros
More economic policy & debt data for Sierra Leone
- GDP (current US$) — US$7.46 billion (2025)
- GDP (current LCU) — 169.12 billion (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$10.28 billion (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU) — 67.92 billion (2025)
- GDP per capita (current US$) — US$846.3 (2025)
- GDP per capita (current LCU) — 19,175 (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$1,166 (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 7,701 (2025)
- Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$433.27 million (2024)
- Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$433.27 million (2024)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Sierra Leone's external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$)?
- US$173.9 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How does Sierra Leone rank?
- 82nd highest of 118 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) unusual for Sierra Leone?
- In 2024, Sierra Leone's external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) rose US$15.31 million on 2023 (from US$158.59 million to US$173.9 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +US$199,817 and a typical year strayed about US$44.56 million 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.DOD.DSTC.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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