Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Ghana
Ghana: Short-term debt (% of total external debt) was 7.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Short-term debt in Ghana, 1970–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total external debt.
Analysis
The most recent figure for short-term debt in Ghana is 7.0%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 22.4% on the previous year and down 34.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Ghana peaked at 28.7% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1976.
That places Ghana 73rd out of 122 countries with data for 2024, 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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.9% | — |
| 1971 | 1.0% | +10.3% |
| 1972 | 2.7% | +175.8% |
| 1973 | 3.4% | +25.4% |
| 1974 | 1.3% | -63.1% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | -35.6% |
| 1976 | 0.4% | -46.4% |
| 1977 | 21.0% | +4765.1% |
| 1978 | 28.7% | +36.4% |
| 1979 | 15.9% | -44.6% |
| 1980 | 9.4% | -41.2% |
| 1981 | 18.6% | +98.9% |
| 1982 | 14.0% | -24.7% |
| 1983 | 5.6% | -60.2% |
| 1984 | 12.4% | +121.9% |
| 1985 | 8.4% | -31.8% |
| 1986 | 6.8% | -19.0% |
| 1987 | 3.7% | -46.3% |
| 1988 | 2.5% | -31.9% |
| 1989 | 6.0% | +140.9% |
| 1990 | 8.2% | +37.1% |
| 1991 | 9.0% | +8.9% |
| 1992 | 9.2% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 9.7% | +5.5% |
| 1994 | 10.6% | +9.4% |
| 1995 | 10.5% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 10.1% | -3.1% |
| 1997 | 10.7% | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 10.4% | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 10.1% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 7.9% | -22.3% |
| 2001 | 6.7% | -14.9% |
| 2002 | 8.3% | +24.7% |
| 2003 | 9.1% | +9.4% |
| 2004 | 7.6% | -16.7% |
| 2005 | 9.5% | +25.5% |
| 2006 | 19.5% | +104.5% |
| 2007 | 14.7% | -24.8% |
| 2008 | 11.2% | -23.7% |
| 2009 | 11.7% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 11.6% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 12.6% | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 11.3% | -10.9% |
| 2013 | 12.8% | +13.7% |
| 2014 | 10.7% | -16.1% |
| 2015 | 10.6% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 8.0% | -24.1% |
| 2017 | 9.9% | +23.4% |
| 2018 | 10.4% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 14.2% | +36.4% |
| 2020 | 12.8% | -9.6% |
| 2021 | 11.0% | -14.0% |
| 2022 | 10.7% | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 9.0% | -15.5% |
| 2024 | 7.0% | -22.4% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 7.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.0%, 78% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 7.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.2%, 1.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Ghana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | +4765.1% | 0.4% | 21.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.6% | 0.4% | 28.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.7% | 2.5% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.8% | 8.2% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.6% | 6.7% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.2% | 8.0% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.1% | 7.0% | 12.8% | 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)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 2.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Ghana?
- Short-term debt in Ghana was 7.0% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 28.7% in 1978.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1976.
- How does Ghana rank for short-term debt?
- Ghana ranks 73rd out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.8%. 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 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.