External debt stocks, long-term in South Africa
South Africa: External debt stocks, long-term was 121.43 billion DOD, current US$ in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
121.43 billion DOD, current US$
Change on year
up 6.8%
World rank
12th
of 122 countries
All-time high
143.78 billion DOD, current US$
in 2019
All-time low
13.04 billion DOD, current US$
in 1994
Years of data
31
1994–2024
External debt stocks, long-term in South Africa, 1994–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in DOD, current US$.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 121.43 billion DOD, current US$ for external debt stocks, long-term in 2024.
That represents a change of up 6.8% on the previous year and up 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks, long-term in South Africa peaked at 143.78 billion DOD, current US$ in 2019 and was at its lowest, 13.04 billion DOD, current US$, in 1994.
That places South Africa 12th out of 122 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External debt stocks, long-term in South Africa, year by year
| Year | DOD, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 13.04 billion DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1995 | 14.77 billion DOD, current US$ | +13.3% |
| 1996 | 14.33 billion DOD, current US$ | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 19.29 billion DOD, current US$ | +34.6% |
| 1998 | 14.57 billion DOD, current US$ | -24.5% |
| 1999 | 14.60 billion DOD, current US$ | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 16.83 billion DOD, current US$ | +15.2% |
| 2001 | 17.05 billion DOD, current US$ | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 26.75 billion DOD, current US$ | +56.9% |
| 2003 | 28.59 billion DOD, current US$ | +6.9% |
| 2004 | 30.12 billion DOD, current US$ | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 27.22 billion DOD, current US$ | -9.6% |
| 2006 | 33.22 billion DOD, current US$ | +22.0% |
| 2007 | 43.24 billion DOD, current US$ | +30.2% |
| 2008 | 42.54 billion DOD, current US$ | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 52.40 billion DOD, current US$ | +23.2% |
| 2010 | 80.51 billion DOD, current US$ | +53.6% |
| 2011 | 92.09 billion DOD, current US$ | +14.4% |
| 2012 | 108.74 billion DOD, current US$ | +18.1% |
| 2013 | 102.66 billion DOD, current US$ | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 104.29 billion DOD, current US$ | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 88.25 billion DOD, current US$ | -15.4% |
| 2016 | 104.46 billion DOD, current US$ | +18.4% |
| 2017 | 131.60 billion DOD, current US$ | +26.0% |
| 2018 | 129.84 billion DOD, current US$ | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 143.78 billion DOD, current US$ | +10.7% |
| 2020 | 131.38 billion DOD, current US$ | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 122.29 billion DOD, current US$ | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 118.45 billion DOD, current US$ | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 113.72 billion DOD, current US$ | -4.0% |
| 2024 | 121.43 billion DOD, current US$ | +6.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 121.43 billion DOD, current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 12.82 billion DOD, current US$, 9.5× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 121.43 billion DOD, current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.45 billion DOD, current US$, 22.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.10 billion DOD, current US$ | 13.04 billion DOD, current US$ | 19.29 billion DOD, current US$ | 6 |
| 2000s | 31.80 billion DOD, current US$ | 16.83 billion DOD, current US$ | 52.40 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 108.62 billion DOD, current US$ | 80.51 billion DOD, current US$ | 143.78 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 121.46 billion DOD, current US$ | 113.72 billion DOD, current US$ | 131.38 billion DOD, current US$ | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 9 Ukraine 156.25 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 10 Argentina 146.60 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 11 Kazakhstan 146.04 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 13 Thailand 117.16 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 14 Philippines 112.43 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 15 Egypt 109.86 billion DOD, current US$ compare
More external debt data for South Africa
- IFC, private nonguaranteed -15.41 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -0.2407 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP -0 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 444.22 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 2.3% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD 910.75 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 6.5% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD (NFL, current US$), annual growth rate -109.7 % change on previous year (2023)
- Other investment, Debt instruments 53.54 billion US dollar (2025)
- Use of IMF credit 7.63 billion DOD, current US$ (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt stocks, long-term in South Africa?
- External debt stocks, long-term in South Africa was 121.43 billion DOD, current US$ in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest external debt stocks, long-term recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 143.78 billion DOD, current US$ in 2019.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks, long-term recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.04 billion DOD, current US$ in 1994.
- How does South Africa rank for external debt stocks, long-term?
- South Africa ranks 12th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is external debt stocks, long-term rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of External debt stocks, long-term (DOD, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.