Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Ghana
Ghana: Public and publicly guaranteed debt service was 2.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Ghana, 1975–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.
Analysis
In 2024, public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Ghana stood at 2.9%.
That represents a change of up 42.8% on the previous year and down 37.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Ghana peaked at 23.2% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2023.
Ghana ranks 97th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of exports of goods, services and primary income | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 6.1% | — |
| 1976 | 5.8% | -5.1% |
| 1977 | 3.7% | -36.0% |
| 1978 | 6.8% | +83.2% |
| 1979 | 6.3% | -6.9% |
| 1980 | 8.9% | +40.0% |
| 1981 | 8.3% | -6.2% |
| 1982 | 10.0% | +19.8% |
| 1983 | 23.2% | +132.3% |
| 1984 | 14.5% | -37.3% |
| 1985 | 14.1% | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 15.0% | +6.1% |
| 1987 | 17.2% | +15.3% |
| 1988 | 21.2% | +23.1% |
| 1989 | 23.2% | +9.0% |
| 1990 | 20.3% | -12.4% |
| 1991 | 15.6% | -23.1% |
| 1992 | 18.4% | +18.0% |
| 1993 | 16.5% | -10.5% |
| 1994 | 17.6% | +6.6% |
| 1995 | 15.9% | -9.5% |
| 1996 | 17.5% | +10.0% |
| 1997 | 20.2% | +15.6% |
| 1998 | 15.0% | -25.8% |
| 1999 | 15.7% | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 15.2% | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 8.5% | -44.2% |
| 2002 | 6.9% | -18.3% |
| 2003 | 7.0% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 7.0% | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 4.9% | -29.6% |
| 2007 | 3.3% | -33.4% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -13.9% |
| 2009 | 2.9% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 2.1% | -26.0% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | +20.2% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | +35.7% |
| 2014 | 4.7% | +37.2% |
| 2015 | 5.5% | +19.0% |
| 2016 | 8.5% | +52.9% |
| 2017 | 8.6% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 10.4% | +20.9% |
| 2019 | 8.5% | -18.0% |
| 2020 | 10.8% | +25.9% |
| 2021 | 12.1% | +12.2% |
| 2022 | 7.4% | -38.8% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | -72.3% |
| 2024 | 2.9% | +42.8% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 2.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.4%, 46% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 2.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.7%, 52% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.8% | 3.7% | 6.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 15.6% | 8.3% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.3% | 15.0% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.5% | 2.8% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.7% | 2.1% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.0% | 2.0% | 12.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More external debt data for Ghana
- IFC, private nonguaranteed -35.10 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -1.02 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP -0.0004 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre -281.78 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 1.1% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA 843.42 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 24.5 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0101 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD -2.25 million NFL, current US$ (2005)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 2,240 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Ghana?
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Ghana was 2.9% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 23.2% in 1983.
- What is the lowest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2023.
- How does Ghana rank for public and publicly guaranteed debt service?
- Ghana ranks 97th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is public and publicly guaranteed debt service rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service to exports of goods, services, and income. Public and publicly guaranteed debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term obligations of public debtors and long-term private obligations guaranteed by a public entity. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.