Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Public and publicly guaranteed debt service was 8.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
8.9%
Change on year
down 6.8%
Rank
10th
of 32 groups
All-time high
19.8%
in 1986
All-time low
2.9%
in 2008
Years of data
52
1973–2024

Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Least developed countries, 1973–2024

5101520197319982024

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 Least developed countries stood at 8.9%.

The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and up 53.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Least developed countries peaked at 19.8% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2008.

That places Least developed countries 10th out of 32 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.

Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Least developed countries, year by year

Annual values for Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) in Least developed countries, 1973 to 2024.
Year % of exports of goods, services and primary income Change
1973 8.6%
1974 10.0% +16.0%
1975 9.0% -9.4%
1976 8.6% -4.3%
1977 10.6% +23.0%
1978 12.5% +17.1%
1979 11.4% -8.4%
1980 12.0% +5.0%
1981 13.6% +13.4%
1982 13.0% -4.3%
1983 12.0% -7.7%
1984 12.6% +5.3%
1985 15.5% +22.7%
1986 19.8% +27.8%
1987 18.8% -5.0%
1988 18.7% -0.4%
1989 16.9% -10.0%
1990 13.3% -20.8%
1991 15.1% +12.9%
1992 10.5% -30.2%
1993 10.2% -3.4%
1994 10.5% +3.5%
1995 12.0% +13.7%
1996 13.0% +8.8%
1997 11.5% -11.6%
1998 14.0% +21.8%
1999 12.3% -12.0%
2000 11.4% -7.7%
2001 12.4% +8.7%
2002 8.8% -28.8%
2003 9.0% +2.0%
2004 7.9% -12.4%
2005 6.4% -18.0%
2006 6.7% +4.7%
2007 6.1% -9.7%
2008 2.9% -52.9%
2009 5.2% +82.0%
2010 3.4% -33.9%
2011 3.4% -1.3%
2012 4.5% +32.3%
2013 5.4% +19.9%
2014 5.8% +7.6%
2015 7.0% +20.7%
2016 9.0% +28.3%
2017 7.8% -13.7%
2018 8.0% +3.2%
2019 9.0% +11.7%
2020 9.1% +1.5%
2021 9.7% +6.7%
2022 7.8% -20.1%
2023 9.5% +23.0%
2024 8.9% -6.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 10.1% 8.6% 12.5% 7
1980s 15.3% 12.0% 19.8% 10
1990s 12.2% 10.2% 15.1% 10
2000s 7.7% 2.9% 12.4% 10
2010s 6.3% 3.4% 9.0% 10
2020s 9.0% 7.8% 9.7% 5

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 7 Tonga 24.6% compare
  2. 8 Dominica 22.6% compare
  3. 9 Côte d'Ivoire 19.0% compare
  4. 10 Colombia 18.9% compare
  5. 11 Niger 17.5% compare
  6. 12 Senegal 16.7% compare
  7. 13 Tunisia 16.2% compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More external debt data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Least developed countries?
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Least developed countries was 8.9% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
What is the highest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 19.8% in 1986.
What is the lowest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2008.
How does Least developed countries rank for public and publicly guaranteed debt service?
Least developed countries ranks 10th out of 32 groups with data for 2024.
Is public and publicly guaranteed debt service rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is up 53.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Least developed countries 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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Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://debt.statizoid.com/stat/public-and-publicly-guaranteed-debt-service-percent-of-exports-of-goods-services-and/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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About this data

Indicator
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)
Unit
% of exports of goods, services and primary income
Source
International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
152 places, 5,881 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

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.