Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Short-term debt (% of total external debt) was 12.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Short-term debt in Bangladesh, 1972–2025
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total external debt.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 12.4% for short-term debt in 2025.
The figure is down 27.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Bangladesh peaked at 21.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1972.
That places Bangladesh 47th out of 123 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 0.0% | — |
| 1973 | 0.1% | — |
| 1974 | 0.0% | -96.6% |
| 1975 | 0.1% | +3244.4% |
| 1976 | 0.2% | +33.8% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | +619.9% |
| 1978 | 2.6% | +121.4% |
| 1979 | 3.7% | +45.9% |
| 1980 | 5.6% | +48.9% |
| 1981 | 5.4% | -2.9% |
| 1982 | 4.2% | -21.9% |
| 1983 | 3.2% | -24.8% |
| 1984 | 2.4% | -24.5% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | -13.9% |
| 1986 | 1.6% | -23.6% |
| 1987 | 0.8% | -51.9% |
| 1988 | 0.5% | -36.3% |
| 1989 | 0.6% | +30.2% |
| 1990 | 1.3% | +101.0% |
| 1991 | 1.7% | +32.6% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | -37.6% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | +16.1% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | -15.1% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | +14.2% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -21.3% |
| 1999 | 1.5% | +60.1% |
| 2000 | 2.1% | +38.5% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | +12.5% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | +42.3% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 3.6% | +7.9% |
| 2005 | 3.7% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 5.8% | +57.0% |
| 2007 | 6.4% | +8.9% |
| 2008 | 8.1% | +27.5% |
| 2009 | 7.6% | -6.1% |
| 2010 | 11.1% | +45.6% |
| 2011 | 7.8% | -29.9% |
| 2012 | 6.7% | -13.7% |
| 2013 | 11.5% | +71.3% |
| 2014 | 11.8% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 17.1% | +45.3% |
| 2016 | 18.8% | +10.2% |
| 2017 | 21.1% | +11.8% |
| 2018 | 15.8% | -25.0% |
| 2019 | 15.6% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 14.9% | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | +32.4% |
| 2022 | 19.1% | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 14.0% | -26.6% |
| 2024 | 12.4% | -11.7% |
| 2025 | 12.4% | +0.0% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 12.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.0%, 1.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 12.4% is above the median for South Asia, which is 7.2%, 1.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Bangladesh changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | +3244.4% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1977 | +619.9% | 0.2% | 1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.0% | 3.7% | 8 |
| 1980s | 2.6% | 0.5% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.7% | 2.1% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.7% | 6.7% | 21.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.4% | 12.4% | 19.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 44 El Salvador 13.3% compare
- 45 Morocco 12.6% compare
- 46 Albania 12.6% compare
- 48 Argentina 12.1% compare
- 49 Kazakhstan 11.8% compare
- 50 Central African Republic 11.8% compare
More external debt data for Bangladesh
- Net financial flows, IBRD -7.28 million NFL, current US$ (2004)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 0.2191 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP 0.0001 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 327.29 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 8.89 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0034 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 10,864 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Use of IMF credit 6.05 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 83.46 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, long-term 93.33 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Bangladesh?
- Short-term debt in Bangladesh was 12.4% in 2025, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1972.
- How does Bangladesh rank for short-term debt?
- Bangladesh ranks 47th out of 123 countries with data for 2025.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Short-term debt (% of total external debt). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.