Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Short-term debt (% of total external debt) was 6.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Short-term debt in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1970–2025
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total external debt.
Analysis
In 2025, short-term debt in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 6.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 64.2% on the previous year and up 107.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 30.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2017.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 75th 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 Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 9.8% | — |
| 1971 | 9.8% | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 9.8% | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 9.8% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 10.1% | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 11.1% | +10.4% |
| 1976 | 11.2% | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 10.6% | -5.6% |
| 1978 | 10.8% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 12.2% | +13.1% |
| 1980 | 6.8% | -43.9% |
| 1981 | 7.7% | +12.8% |
| 1982 | 9.1% | +18.3% |
| 1983 | 5.3% | -42.3% |
| 1984 | 6.3% | +19.0% |
| 1985 | 6.6% | +5.1% |
| 1986 | 5.8% | -11.6% |
| 1987 | 6.7% | +14.9% |
| 1988 | 9.8% | +46.2% |
| 1989 | 7.0% | -28.4% |
| 1990 | 7.3% | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 10.0% | +37.8% |
| 1992 | 14.2% | +41.7% |
| 1993 | 18.1% | +27.8% |
| 1994 | 20.7% | +14.4% |
| 1995 | 23.6% | +13.8% |
| 1996 | 24.3% | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 26.8% | +10.0% |
| 1998 | 27.0% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 27.7% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 29.0% | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 30.6% | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 5.2% | -82.9% |
| 2003 | 4.1% | -22.0% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 3.5% | -13.0% |
| 2006 | 4.5% | +27.9% |
| 2007 | 5.0% | +10.6% |
| 2008 | 5.3% | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 4.7% | -11.1% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | +61.9% |
| 2011 | 4.4% | -43.2% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | +12.3% |
| 2013 | 7.0% | +43.4% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | -53.9% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | -7.2% |
| 2016 | 4.1% | +36.9% |
| 2017 | 2.4% | -42.2% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | +40.7% |
| 2019 | 4.7% | +39.3% |
| 2020 | 3.0% | -34.5% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 5.5% | +96.0% |
| 2023 | 4.8% | -13.2% |
| 2024 | 3.8% | -20.4% |
| 2025 | 6.2% | +64.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 6.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.5%, 2.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 6.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.2%, 1.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.5% | 9.8% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.1% | 5.3% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.0% | 7.3% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.6% | 3.5% | 30.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 2.4% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.4% | 2.8% | 6.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 72 Cote d'Ivoire 6.7% compare
- 73 Sierra Leone 6.6% compare
- 74 Gambia 6.2% compare
- 76 Senegal 6.0% compare
- 77 Mongolia 5.8% compare
- 78 Saint Lucia 5.6% compare
More external debt data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Net financial flows, IBRD -81.55 million NFL, current US$ (2002)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 0.2037 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP 0.0003 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 32.2 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 4.56 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0066 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 379.63 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Use of IMF credit 5.14 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 9.24 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, long-term 9.24 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Short-term debt in Democratic Republic of Congo was 6.2% in 2025, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 30.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2017.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for short-term debt?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 75th out of 123 countries with data for 2025.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 107.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.