South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): External debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$)
External debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$) over time
- South Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
How they compare
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) currently reports 798.86 billion DOD, current US$ against 139.25 billion DOD, current US$ in South Africa, a difference of 659.61 billion DOD, current US$.
That makes Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s figure about 5.7 times South Africa's.
Across all 32 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 12th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 9th of 123 countries.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.10 billion DOD, current US$ | 179.19 billion DOD, current US$ | 164.09 billion DOD, current US$ | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 2000s | 31.80 billion DOD, current US$ | 189.30 billion DOD, current US$ | 157.51 billion DOD, current US$ | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 2010s | 108.64 billion DOD, current US$ | 447.20 billion DOD, current US$ | 338.56 billion DOD, current US$ | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 2020s | 124.40 billion DOD, current US$ | 713.98 billion DOD, current US$ | 589.58 billion DOD, current US$ | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher external debt stocks, long-term, South Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), at 798.86 billion DOD, current US$ against 139.25 billion DOD, current US$ in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in external debt stocks, long-term between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 659.61 billion DOD, current US$, with Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for external debt stocks, long-term?
- South Africa ranks 12th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 9th of 123 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as External debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
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About this data
Long-term debt is debt that has an original or extended maturity of more than one year. It has three components: public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.