External Debt by Country
Total external debt stocks, current US dollars (low and middle income economies). Latest values for 121 economies.
Among 121 countries, China has the highest external debt at $2,419.8B and Tonga the lowest at $0.2B (latest available readings).
External Debt by Region
Latest available reading (periods may differ by country). Choose a region or “All countries”.
External Debt — All Countries
Sorted by latest value. Click headers to re-sort.
| # | Country | Last | Previous | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China | $2,419.8B | $2,447.5B | 2024 |
| 2 | India | $716.5B | $647.6B | 2024 |
| 3 | Brazil | $605.5B | $607.4B | 2024 |
| 4 | Mexico | $591.3B | $596.0B | 2024 |
| 5 | Turkey | $515.0B | $499.8B | 2024 |
| 6 | Indonesia | $421.1B | $399.6B | 2024 |
| 7 | Russia | $376.1B | $472.2B | 2022 |
| 8 | Argentina | $242.4B | $252.8B | 2024 |
| 9 | Colombia | $201.8B | $196.2B | 2024 |
| 10 | Ukraine | $193.5B | $179.0B | 2024 |
| 11 | Thailand | $191.8B | $194.7B | 2024 |
| 12 | South Africa | $175.9B | $165.8B | 2024 |
| 13 | Kazakhstan | $167.5B | $171.5B | 2024 |
| 14 | Egypt | $156.0B | $168.2B | 2024 |
| 15 | Philippines | $137.0B | $124.5B | 2024 |
| 16 | Vietnam | $132.9B | $141.8B | 2024 |
| 17 | Pakistan | $129.7B | $131.0B | 2024 |
| 18 | Nigeria | $108.8B | $102.5B | 2024 |
| 19 | Bangladesh | $104.5B | $101.4B | 2024 |
| 20 | Peru | $93.3B | $94.0B | 2024 |
| 21 | Uzbekistan | $70.3B | $61.6B | 2024 |
| 22 | Mozambique | $69.8B | $67.9B | 2024 |
| 23 | Morocco | $68.0B | $69.6B | 2024 |
| 24 | Lebanon | $67.4B | $66.3B | 2024 |
| 25 | Ecuador | $60.4B | $61.7B | 2024 |
| 26 | Angola | $58.7B | $57.3B | 2024 |
| 27 | Sri Lanka | $56.8B | $60.5B | 2024 |
| 28 | Dominican Republic | $53.3B | $52.2B | 2024 |
| 29 | Serbia | $52.0B | $50.3B | 2024 |
| 30 | Bulgaria | $47.2B | $44.9B | 2022 |
| 31 | Senegal | $47.1B | $45.5B | 2024 |
| 32 | Jordan | $47.0B | $44.6B | 2024 |
| 33 | Kenya | $42.9B | $42.9B | 2024 |
| 34 | Ivory Coast | $40.6B | $36.4B | 2024 |
| 35 | Tunisia | $40.5B | $42.4B | 2024 |
| 36 | Mongolia | $38.0B | $35.0B | 2024 |
| 37 | Ghana | $37.4B | $41.7B | 2024 |
| 38 | Ethiopia | $36.5B | $33.3B | 2024 |
| 39 | Tanzania | $36.3B | $34.6B | 2024 |
| 40 | Belarus | $34.2B | $36.8B | 2024 |
| 41 | Paraguay | $30.0B | $26.6B | 2024 |
| 42 | Zambia | $28.1B | $29.1B | 2024 |
| 43 | Guatemala | $27.1B | $25.7B | 2024 |
| 44 | Georgia | $25.2B | $24.1B | 2024 |
| 45 | El Salvador | $25.0B | $22.9B | 2024 |
| 46 | Sudan | $22.0B | $22.6B | 2024 |
| 47 | Cambodia | $21.0B | $22.5B | 2024 |
| 48 | Uganda | $20.5B | $20.3B | 2024 |
| 49 | Mauritius | $20.4B | $19.1B | 2024 |
| 50 | Laos | $17.8B | $18.1B | 2024 |
| 51 | Iraq | $17.5B | $20.3B | 2024 |
| 52 | Armenia | $16.4B | $15.8B | 2024 |
| 53 | Cameroon | $15.8B | $15.4B | 2024 |
| 54 | Bolivia | $15.7B | $16.3B | 2024 |
| 55 | Nicaragua | $15.5B | $15.4B | 2024 |
| 56 | Jamaica | $14.8B | $15.4B | 2024 |
| 57 | Zimbabwe | $14.4B | $14.5B | 2024 |
| 58 | Honduras | $14.3B | $12.9B | 2024 |
| 59 | Benin | $14.2B | $12.5B | 2024 |
| 60 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | $13.9B | $13.9B | 2024 |
| 61 | Rwanda | $13.1B | $11.4B | 2024 |
| 62 | Papua New Guinea | $12.9B | $15.5B | 2024 |
| 63 | North Macedonia | $12.8B | $12.5B | 2024 |
| 64 | DR Congo | $12.5B | $12.0B | 2024 |
| 65 | Azerbaijan | $12.2B | $15.0B | 2024 |
| 66 | Kyrgyzstan | $11.7B | $10.2B | 2024 |
| 67 | Myanmar | $11.2B | $12.2B | 2024 |
| 68 | Burkina Faso | $10.8B | $10.5B | 2024 |
| 69 | Albania | $10.7B | $11.3B | 2024 |
| 70 | Moldova | $10.5B | $10.7B | 2024 |
| 71 | Nepal | $10.2B | $10.0B | 2024 |
| 72 | Iran | $9.7B | $9.9B | 2024 |
| 73 | Montenegro | $8.7B | $8.7B | 2024 |
| 74 | Yemen | $7.1B | $7.3B | 2024 |
| 75 | Tajikistan | $7.0B | $6.6B | 2024 |
| 76 | Algeria | $6.9B | $7.3B | 2024 |
| 77 | Gabon | $6.8B | $7.6B | 2024 |
| 78 | Republic of the Congo | $6.7B | $6.9B | 2024 |
| 79 | Madagascar | $6.7B | $6.4B | 2024 |
| 80 | Mali | $6.4B | $6.5B | 2024 |
| 81 | Guinea | $5.4B | $5.2B | 2024 |
| 82 | Niger | $5.3B | $5.6B | 2024 |
| 83 | Syria | $4.8B | $4.9B | 2024 |
| 84 | Maldives | $4.7B | $4.0B | 2024 |
| 85 | Mauritania | $4.5B | $4.6B | 2024 |
| 86 | Kosovo | $4.4B | $4.2B | 2024 |
| 87 | Togo | $4.3B | $3.4B | 2024 |
| 88 | Suriname | $4.0B | $4.2B | 2023 |
| 89 | Fiji | $3.9B | $3.3B | 2024 |
| 90 | Malawi | $3.7B | $3.6B | 2024 |
| 91 | Guyana | $3.7B | $3.0B | 2024 |
| 92 | Djibouti | $3.5B | $3.4B | 2024 |
| 93 | Bhutan | $3.4B | $3.3B | 2024 |
| 94 | Chad | $3.3B | $3.2B | 2024 |
| 95 | Afghanistan | $3.3B | $3.4B | 2024 |
| 96 | Turkmenistan | $3.3B | $3.9B | 2024 |
| 97 | Cape Verde | $2.4B | $2.5B | 2024 |
| 98 | Sierra Leone | $2.3B | $2.4B | 2024 |
| 99 | Botswana | $2.3B | $2.2B | 2024 |
| 100 | Liberia | $2.2B | $2.1B | 2024 |
| 101 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | $1.8B | $3.1B | 2024 |
| 102 | Lesotho | $1.8B | $1.8B | 2024 |
| 103 | Gambia | $1.6B | $1.3B | 2024 |
| 104 | Belize | $1.6B | $1.5B | 2024 |
| 105 | Guinea-Bissau | $1.4B | $1.4B | 2024 |
| 106 | Eswatini | $1.2B | $1.2B | 2024 |
| 107 | St Lucia | $1.2B | $1.1B | 2024 |
| 108 | Central African Republic | $1.0B | $1.1B | 2024 |
| 109 | Burundi | $1.0B | $1.0B | 2024 |
| 110 | Haiti | $0.9B | $3.2B | 2024 |
| 111 | Grenada | $0.9B | $0.9B | 2024 |
| 112 | St Vincent and the Grenadines | $0.8B | $0.7B | 2024 |
| 113 | Eritrea | $0.7B | $0.7B | 2024 |
| 114 | Solomon Islands | $0.6B | $0.5B | 2024 |
| 115 | Dominica | $0.6B | $0.6B | 2024 |
| 116 | Vanuatu | $0.5B | $0.5B | 2024 |
| 117 | Samoa | $0.4B | $0.4B | 2024 |
| 118 | Comoros | $0.4B | $0.4B | 2024 |
| 119 | Sao Tome and Principe | $0.3B | $0.3B | 2024 |
| 120 | Timor-Leste | $0.3B | $0.3B | 2024 |
| 121 | Tonga | $0.2B | $0.2B | 2024 |
External Debt around the world — in simple words
Overview
External Debt is available for 121 economies with recent data. The median value is $13.1B and the simple average is $77.4B.
Highest: China ($2,419.8B), India ($716.5B), Brazil ($605.5B), Mexico ($591.3B), Turkey ($515.0B).
Lowest: Tonga ($0.2B), Timor-Leste ($0.3B), Sao Tome and Principe ($0.3B), Comoros ($0.4B), Samoa ($0.4B).
Major economies
Among the 6 major economies tracked here, China ($2,419.8B) has the highest reading and South Africa ($175.9B) the lowest. Their median is $598.4B.
External Debt — Regional Medians
Median of the latest readings of countries in each World Bank region. The median is the middle value — half the countries are above it and half below.
| Region | Countries | Median |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia & Pacific | 16 | $15.3B |
| Europe & Central Asia | 20 | $15.1B |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 22 | $15.6B |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 13 | $17.5B |
| South Asia | 6 | $33.5B |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 44 | $6.7B |
Understanding External Debt — a simple guide
What it measures
Total external debt stocks — owed to non-residents — in current US dollars (World Bank; low and middle income economies).
How it is calculated
Total debt owed to foreign lenders by the government and private sector, in US dollars.
External debt of $650 billion includes government and company borrowing abroad.
High external debt increases sensitivity to a weaker currency.
Low external debt reduces exposure to foreign lenders.
Why it matters for the economy and markets
High external debt, especially short-term and foreign-currency debt, raises vulnerability to currency depreciation.
How to read it
Compare with exports and reserves to judge repayment capacity.
How to use the chart
Use the 5Y / 10Y / 25Y / Max buttons to change the time range, or drag the slider under the chart. Hover (or tap) on the line to see the exact value for any period. Dashed lines and hatched bars are IMF projections, not actual data. The “Download CSV” button gives you the full data series.
Frequently asked questions
What does external debt measure?
Which country has the highest external debt?
Data are sourced from official international organisations (IMF, World Bank, BIS) and national authorities, and are shown for educational and informational purposes only. They are not investment advice and no recommendation is made. Figures may be revised by the source; IMF figures for the current and future years are projections. This page was last updated on Saturday, October 17, 2026.