External debt stocks, short-term in South Africa
South Africa: External debt stocks, short-term was 46.83 billion DOD, current US$ in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
46.83 billion DOD, current US$
Change on year
up 10.9%
World rank
10th
of 122 countries
All-time high
47.87 billion DOD, current US$
in 2018
All-time low
7.74 billion DOD, current US$
in 1994
Years of data
31
1994–2024
External debt stocks, short-term in South Africa, 1994–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in DOD, current US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for external debt stocks, short-term in South Africa is 46.83 billion DOD, current US$, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 10.9% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks, short-term in South Africa peaked at 47.87 billion DOD, current US$ in 2018 and was at its lowest, 7.74 billion DOD, current US$, in 1994.
South Africa ranks 10th of 122 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External debt stocks, short-term in South Africa, year by year
| Year | DOD, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 7.74 billion DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1995 | 9.67 billion DOD, current US$ | +25.0% |
| 1996 | 10.83 billion DOD, current US$ | +12.0% |
| 1997 | 10.93 billion DOD, current US$ | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 11.44 billion DOD, current US$ | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 10.81 billion DOD, current US$ | -5.5% |
| 2000 | 9.55 billion DOD, current US$ | -11.7% |
| 2001 | 8.36 billion DOD, current US$ | -12.5% |
| 2002 | 8.05 billion DOD, current US$ | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 11.20 billion DOD, current US$ | +39.0% |
| 2004 | 13.55 billion DOD, current US$ | +21.0% |
| 2005 | 17.56 billion DOD, current US$ | +29.6% |
| 2006 | 24.40 billion DOD, current US$ | +38.9% |
| 2007 | 29.22 billion DOD, current US$ | +19.8% |
| 2008 | 31.40 billion DOD, current US$ | +7.5% |
| 2009 | 29.18 billion DOD, current US$ | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 32.07 billion DOD, current US$ | +9.9% |
| 2011 | 29.32 billion DOD, current US$ | -8.6% |
| 2012 | 36.48 billion DOD, current US$ | +24.4% |
| 2013 | 36.24 billion DOD, current US$ | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 42.45 billion DOD, current US$ | +17.1% |
| 2015 | 37.02 billion DOD, current US$ | -12.8% |
| 2016 | 37.20 billion DOD, current US$ | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 40.89 billion DOD, current US$ | +9.9% |
| 2018 | 47.87 billion DOD, current US$ | +17.1% |
| 2019 | 44.50 billion DOD, current US$ | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 37.08 billion DOD, current US$ | -16.7% |
| 2021 | 36.29 billion DOD, current US$ | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 42.95 billion DOD, current US$ | +18.3% |
| 2023 | 42.22 billion DOD, current US$ | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 46.83 billion DOD, current US$ | +10.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 46.83 billion DOD, current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.37 billion DOD, current US$, 19.7× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 46.83 billion DOD, current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 364.71 million DOD, current US$, 128.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.24 billion DOD, current US$ | 7.74 billion DOD, current US$ | 11.44 billion DOD, current US$ | 6 |
| 2000s | 18.25 billion DOD, current US$ | 8.05 billion DOD, current US$ | 31.40 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.40 billion DOD, current US$ | 29.32 billion DOD, current US$ | 47.87 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.07 billion DOD, current US$ | 36.29 billion DOD, current US$ | 46.83 billion DOD, current US$ | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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, short-term in South Africa?
- External debt stocks, short-term in South Africa was 46.83 billion DOD, current US$ in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest external debt stocks, short-term recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 47.87 billion DOD, current US$ in 2018.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks, short-term recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.74 billion DOD, current US$ in 1994.
- How does South Africa rank for external debt stocks, short-term?
- South Africa ranks 10th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is external debt stocks, short-term rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. 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, short-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
Short-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original maturity of one year or less. Available data permit no distinction between public and private nonguaranteed short-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.