Zambia's external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) was US$2.79 billion in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 241.21% from US$818.37 million in 2014 (13.06% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$2.79 billion | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | US$839.29 million | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | US$818.37 million | 2014 |
| Highest | US$3.41 billion | 2023 |
| Lowest | US$76.27 million | 2000 |
| Average since 2015 | US$1.49 billion | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | US$160 million |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Zambia's external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) fell 18.1% on 2023 (from US$3.41 billion to US$2.79 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +15.2% and a typical year strayed about 53.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below 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 157.8% in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 66.5% in 1999. 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$293.38 million a year. A straight line explains 70% 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, Zambia had the 41st 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Zambia | US$2.79 billion | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | US$391.26 billion | 2024 |
Closest to Zambia in the 2024 ranking
- Tanzania — 38th of 118: US$3.38 billion
- North Macedonia — 39th of 118: US$3.18 billion
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 40th of 118: US$3.07 billion
- El Salvador — 42nd of 118: US$2.65 billion
- Ghana — 43rd of 118: US$2.62 billion
- Jamaica — 44th of 118: US$2.4 billion
What this measures
Short-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original maturity of one year or less. Available data permit no distinction between public and private nonguaranteed short-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 55 values
| Year | External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,792,341,916 |
| 2023 | 3,409,245,499 |
| 2022 | 2,724,376,208 |
| 2021 | 1,416,094,286 |
| 2020 | 729,764,202 |
| 2019 | 839,288,075 |
| 2018 | 621,772,504 |
| 2017 | 900,304,500 |
| 2016 | 761,516,504 |
| 2015 | 739,002,504 |
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$29.49 million (2024)
- Comoros
More economic policy & debt data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$) — US$1.19 billion (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU) — 29.79 billion (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP) — 4.11% (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$) — US$2.53 billion (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU) — 63.49 billion (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP) — 8.75% (2025)
- Industry, including construction, value added (current US$) — US$10.2 billion (2025)
- Industry, including construction, value added (current LCU) — 256.39 billion (2025)
- Industry, including construction, value added (% of GDP)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Zambia's external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$)?
- US$2.79 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1970?
- It is up 1,645% from US$160 million in 1970 (5.44% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$3.41 billion in 2023 and the lowest US$76.27 million in 2000.
- How does Zambia rank?
- 41st highest of 118 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) unusual for Zambia?
- In 2024, Zambia's external debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$) fell 18.1% on 2023 (from US$3.41 billion to US$2.79 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +15.2% and a typical year strayed about 53.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below 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.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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