Low income vs South Africa: Debt service on external debt, total

Low income
12.13 billion TDS, current US$
in 2024
South Africa
22.56 billion TDS, current US$
in 2024
Low income rank
12th
South Africa rank
13th

Debt service on external debt, total over time

  • Low income
  • South Africa
010.0B20.0B30.0B197019972024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 22.56 billion TDS, current US$ against 12.13 billion TDS, current US$ in Low income, a difference of 10.43 billion TDS, current US$.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.9 times Low income's.

Across all 31 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Low income ranks 12th and South Africa ranks 13th of 12 groups.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Low income South Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 1.68 billion TDS, current US$ 4.32 billion TDS, current US$ 2.64 billion TDS, current US$ South Africa
2000s 2.92 billion TDS, current US$ 5.19 billion TDS, current US$ 2.27 billion TDS, current US$ South Africa
2010s 5.57 billion TDS, current US$ 15.44 billion TDS, current US$ 9.87 billion TDS, current US$ South Africa
2020s 12.79 billion TDS, current US$ 25.51 billion TDS, current US$ 12.72 billion TDS, current US$ South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher debt service on external debt, total, Low income or South Africa?
South Africa, at 22.56 billion TDS, current US$ against 12.13 billion TDS, current US$ in Low income as of 2024.
What is the difference in debt service on external debt, total between Low income and South Africa?
10.43 billion TDS, current US$, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Low income and South Africa?
31 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2024.
How do Low income and South Africa rank globally for debt service on external debt, total?
Low income ranks 12th and South Africa ranks 13th of 12 groups.
Where does this data come from?
International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as Debt service on external debt, total (TDS, current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Low income vs South Africa: Debt service on external debt, total. Statizoid, drawing on International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://debt.statizoid.com/compare/debt-service-on-external-debt-total-tds-current-us/low-income/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Debt service on external debt, total (TDS, current US$)
Unit
TDS, current US$
Source
International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
134 places, 6,455 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF. Data are in current U.S. dollars.