Iran vs South Africa: Short-term debt (% of total external debt)
Short-term debt (% of total external debt) over time
- Iran
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 29.4% against 22.9% in Iran, a difference of 6.5%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.3 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 32 shared years of data; in 1994 it was South Africa ahead.
Iran ranks 22nd and South Africa ranks 14th of 123 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 31.9% | 39.5% | 7.6% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 41.0% | 34.8% | 6.2% | Iran |
| 2010s | 36.7% | 25.8% | 10.9% | Iran |
| 2020s | 25.3% | 24.8% | 0.5% | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher short-term debt, Iran or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 29.4% against 22.9% in Iran as of 2025.
- What is the difference in short-term debt between Iran and South Africa?
- 6.5%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and South Africa?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2025.
- How do Iran and South Africa rank globally for short-term debt?
- Iran ranks 22nd and South Africa ranks 14th of 123 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as Short-term debt (% of total external debt). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt.