Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Kenya
Kenya: Short-term debt (% of total external debt) was 4.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Short-term debt in Kenya, 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 Kenya is 4.7%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of down 28.6% on the previous year and down 60.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Kenya peaked at 18.9% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 4.7%, in 2024.
Kenya ranks 84th of 122 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 14.5% | — |
| 1971 | 14.5% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 14.5% | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 14.4% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 14.4% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 14.5% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 14.5% | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 18.3% | +26.3% |
| 1978 | 18.5% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 15.8% | -15.0% |
| 1980 | 18.9% | +19.9% |
| 1981 | 14.6% | -23.0% |
| 1982 | 10.1% | -30.8% |
| 1983 | 11.3% | +11.6% |
| 1984 | 10.7% | -4.9% |
| 1985 | 11.2% | +5.0% |
| 1986 | 8.1% | -28.1% |
| 1987 | 10.2% | +26.6% |
| 1988 | 9.2% | -10.1% |
| 1989 | 10.4% | +12.7% |
| 1990 | 13.2% | +27.9% |
| 1991 | 9.5% | -28.3% |
| 1992 | 11.3% | +18.6% |
| 1993 | 12.7% | +12.7% |
| 1994 | 9.5% | -25.1% |
| 1995 | 8.7% | -8.8% |
| 1996 | 7.7% | -10.6% |
| 1997 | 12.3% | +59.1% |
| 1998 | 12.2% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 11.9% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 12.3% | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 9.6% | -21.7% |
| 2002 | 10.8% | +12.1% |
| 2003 | 10.3% | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 9.6% | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | -21.2% |
| 2006 | 8.8% | +16.4% |
| 2007 | 12.8% | +45.4% |
| 2008 | 12.4% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 11.2% | -9.5% |
| 2010 | 11.7% | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 12.9% | +9.8% |
| 2012 | 13.3% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 17.6% | +31.8% |
| 2014 | 11.8% | -32.8% |
| 2015 | 13.6% | +15.5% |
| 2016 | 10.1% | -25.7% |
| 2017 | 9.9% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 8.1% | -17.8% |
| 2019 | 7.5% | -7.5% |
| 2020 | 6.0% | -19.5% |
| 2021 | 5.9% | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 6.2% | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 6.6% | +6.5% |
| 2024 | 4.7% | -28.6% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 4.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.0%, 52% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 4.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.2%, 90% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.4% | 14.4% | 18.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.5% | 8.1% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.9% | 7.7% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.5% | 7.5% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.7% | 7.5% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.9% | 4.7% | 6.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More external debt data for Kenya
- IFC, private nonguaranteed -18.53 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -0.3284 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP -0.0002 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 23.21 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 4.5% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA 820.39 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 14.54 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0068 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD 869.28 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 25.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Kenya?
- Short-term debt in Kenya was 4.7% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 1980.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.7% in 2024.
- How does Kenya rank for short-term debt?
- Kenya ranks 84th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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.