Zimbabwe's short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) was 48.01% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 17.23 percentage points from 65.24% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 48.01% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 66.73% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 65.24% | 2014 |
| Highest | 88.87% | 2009 |
| Lowest | 2.71% | 1978 |
| Average since 2015 | 65.02% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 4.58% | 1977 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Zimbabwe's short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) fell 3.72 percentage points on 2023 (from 51.73% to 48.01%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2023), the average change was −0.63 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 10.88 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 18.47 percentage points in 1981 and the biggest yearly fall was 37.13 percentage points in 2010. 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 3.63 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 85% 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, Zimbabwe had the 7th highest value of the 99 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | 48.01% | 2024 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 22.8% | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | 18.79% | 2024 |
Closest to Zimbabwe in the 2024 ranking
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. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 34 values
| Year | Short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 48.01 |
| 2023 | 51.73 |
| 2022 | 53.28 |
| 2021 | 56.79 |
| 2020 | 73.14 |
| 2019 | 66.73 |
| 2018 | 65.45 |
| 2017 | 80.28 |
| 2016 | 77.33 |
| 2015 | 77.46 |
| 2014 |
Short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) in nearby economies
- Angola — 15.45% (2024)
- Benin — 26.66% (2023)
- Botswana — 2.46% (2024)
- Burkina Faso — 0% (2024)
- Burundi — 0.69% (2024)
- Cabo Verde — 32.13% (2024)
- Cameroon — 10.78% (2024)
- Comoros — 0.28% (2023)
- Congo, Dem. Rep.
More economic policy & debt data for Zimbabwe
- Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (current US$) — US$48.51 billion (2025)
- Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (current LCU) — 1.54 trillion (2025)
- GDP (current US$) — US$51.22 billion (2025)
- GDP (current LCU) — 1.63 trillion (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$25.48 billion (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU) — 74.26 billion (2025)
- GDP per capita (current US$) — US$3,021 (2025)
- GDP per capita (current LCU) — 96,071 (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$1,503 (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 4,381 (2025)
- GNI (current US$)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Zimbabwe's short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)?
- 48.01% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1977?
- It is up 43.43 percentage points from 4.58% in 1977. The highest value was 88.87% in 2009 and the lowest 2.71% in 1978.
- How does Zimbabwe rank?
- 7th highest of 99 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) unusual for Zimbabwe?
- In 2024, Zimbabwe's short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) fell 3.72 percentage points on 2023 (from 51.73% to 48.01%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2023), the average change was −0.63 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 10.88 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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.XP.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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