Debt: Management, Transparency, Statistics and Sustainability

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Debt At-A-Glance

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, debt was already at record highs in emerging and developing economies. The pandemic is pushing a growing number of these countries into debt distress. Supporting the poorest countries in the fight against COVID-19 is our most urgent priority. We are deploying unprecedented support to enable countries to concentrate their resources on responding to the pandemic.

Overview

Data

Total Debt Service, % of GNI in Low-Income Countries

More Debt Data

Focus Area

The Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR)

GSDR brings together debtor countries and creditors. The objective is to build greater common understanding among key stakeholders on debt sustainability and debt restructuring challenges, and ways to address them.

Research & Resources

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Total external debt by region (billions US$, excluding high income economies)

The World Bank’s International Debt Report 2023 highlighted rising debt-related risks for all developing economies—low as well as middle-income economies—but the strain was intensifying for the world’s poorest countries, which were squeezed by surging debt service payments. The pressure continues this year.

According to the report, developing countries spent a record $443.5 billion to service their external public and publicly guaranteed debt in 2022. The poorest countries eligible to borrow from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) paid a record $88.9 billion in debt-servicing costs in 2022, 4.8 percent more than in 2021. The world’s poorest face the risk of debt crises as borrowing costs surge. The increase in costs shifted scarce resources away from critical needs such as health, education, and the environment. Learn more.