Sudan: Total reserves (% of total external debt)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Sudan's total reserves (% of total external debt) rose 0.02 percentage points on 2016 (from 0.79% to 0.81%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2016), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.41 percentage points 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 4.22 percentage points in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.66 percentage points in 1975. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.63 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 67% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of total external debt which are all liabilities that require payment(s) of interest and/or principal by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy.

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

All 47 values

Total reserves (% of total external debt) in nearby economies

• Angola — 24.25% (2024)
• Botswana — 149.08% (2024)
• Burundi — 8.74% (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 33.19% (2024)
• Cameroon — 32.09% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 46.78% (2024)
• Chad — 46.22% (2024)
• Comoros — 84.02% (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 42.51% (2023)
• Congo, Rep. — 11.27% (2024)

More economic policy & debt data for Sudan

• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$10.77 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 23.83 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$2.02 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 1.75 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 17.9% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$49.06 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 108.57 trillion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Sudan's total reserves (% of total external debt)?

0.81% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 6.24 percentage points from 7.05% in 1971. The highest value was 10.93% in 1974 and the lowest 0.05% in 1991.

Is the latest change in total reserves (% of total external debt) unusual for Sudan?

In 2017, Sudan's total reserves (% of total external debt) rose 0.02 percentage points on 2016 (from 0.79% to 0.81%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2016), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.41 percentage points 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.

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 FI.RES.TOTL.DT.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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