Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Iran
Iran: Short-term debt (% of total external debt) was 22.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Short-term debt in Iran, 1971–2025
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total external debt.
Analysis
The most recent figure for short-term debt in Iran is 22.9%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Iran peaked at 89.0% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1971.
Iran ranks 22nd of 123 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Iran, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.0% | — |
| 1972 | 0.0% | — |
| 1973 | 0.0% | — |
| 1974 | 0.0% | — |
| 1975 | 0.0% | — |
| 1976 | 0.0% | — |
| 1977 | 0.0% | — |
| 1978 | 0.0% | — |
| 1979 | 0.0% | — |
| 1980 | 0.0% | — |
| 1981 | 1.7% | +341320.0% |
| 1982 | 57.7% | +3278.3% |
| 1983 | 58.5% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 52.4% | -10.4% |
| 1985 | 60.9% | +16.2% |
| 1986 | 58.9% | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 62.8% | +6.6% |
| 1988 | 64.6% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 71.3% | +10.4% |
| 1990 | 80.0% | +12.2% |
| 1991 | 81.5% | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 89.0% | +9.2% |
| 1993 | 75.3% | -15.4% |
| 1994 | 30.8% | -59.1% |
| 1995 | 29.7% | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 28.5% | -4.2% |
| 1997 | 28.7% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 36.5% | +27.3% |
| 1999 | 37.1% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 41.8% | +12.5% |
| 2001 | 32.0% | -23.4% |
| 2002 | 23.2% | -27.4% |
| 2003 | 33.7% | +44.8% |
| 2004 | 48.9% | +45.4% |
| 2005 | 49.9% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 44.4% | -11.1% |
| 2007 | 47.5% | +6.9% |
| 2008 | 41.2% | -13.3% |
| 2009 | 47.2% | +14.7% |
| 2010 | 58.7% | +24.4% |
| 2011 | 59.8% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 12.6% | -78.9% |
| 2013 | 11.1% | -12.1% |
| 2014 | 7.4% | -33.0% |
| 2015 | 31.3% | +321.6% |
| 2016 | 54.7% | +74.9% |
| 2017 | 61.6% | +12.6% |
| 2018 | 37.3% | -39.4% |
| 2019 | 32.9% | -11.7% |
| 2020 | 38.0% | +15.5% |
| 2021 | 24.2% | -36.3% |
| 2022 | 20.0% | -17.6% |
| 2023 | 23.1% | +15.6% |
| 2024 | 23.7% | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 22.9% | -3.1% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 22.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.9× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Iran's 22.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 15.0%, 1.5× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Iran 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +341320.0% | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| 1982 | +3278.3% | 1.7% | 57.7% |
| 2015 | +321.6% | 7.4% | 31.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 9 |
| 1980s | 48.9% | 0.0% | 71.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.7% | 28.5% | 89.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.0% | 23.2% | 49.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.7% | 7.4% | 61.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.3% | 20.0% | 38.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More external debt data for Iran
- Net financial flows, IBRD -7.22 million NFL, current US$ (2025)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 0 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP 0 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 0 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Use of IMF credit 6.64 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 319.06 million DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, long-term 1.05 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, short-term 2.29 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- Net financial flows, IBRD (NFL, current US$), annual growth rate -463.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Multilateral debt service (TDS, current US$), per capita 0.1179 TDS, current US$ per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Iran?
- Short-term debt in Iran was 22.9% in 2025, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 89.0% in 1992.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1971.
- How does Iran rank for short-term debt?
- Iran ranks 22nd out of 123 countries with data for 2025.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.