Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Pakistan
Pakistan: Short-term debt (% of total external debt) was 7.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Short-term debt in Pakistan, 1970–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total external debt.
Analysis
Pakistan recorded 7.4% for short-term debt in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.6% on the previous year and down 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Pakistan peaked at 17.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1977.
That places Pakistan 70th 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 Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.1% | — |
| 1971 | 3.2% | +5.3% |
| 1972 | 3.2% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 3.2% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 3.2% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 3.2% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 3.2% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2.4% | -26.4% |
| 1978 | 2.5% | +6.0% |
| 1979 | 4.9% | +96.1% |
| 1980 | 7.4% | +50.1% |
| 1981 | 8.5% | +15.0% |
| 1982 | 6.2% | -27.9% |
| 1983 | 6.6% | +7.7% |
| 1984 | 7.6% | +15.0% |
| 1985 | 9.7% | +27.6% |
| 1986 | 12.5% | +28.0% |
| 1987 | 13.6% | +9.0% |
| 1988 | 14.2% | +4.9% |
| 1989 | 15.1% | +6.1% |
| 1990 | 15.4% | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 17.7% | +14.8% |
| 1992 | 17.6% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 7.9% | -55.0% |
| 1994 | 7.1% | -10.8% |
| 1995 | 10.7% | +51.2% |
| 1996 | 9.4% | -11.8% |
| 1997 | 8.2% | -12.6% |
| 1998 | 6.7% | -18.9% |
| 1999 | 5.4% | -19.9% |
| 2000 | 4.6% | -14.3% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | -11.5% |
| 2002 | 4.5% | +10.6% |
| 2003 | 3.4% | -25.0% |
| 2004 | 3.4% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 3.6% | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 3.5% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 5.2% | +49.2% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | -47.8% |
| 2009 | 2.6% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 7.4% | +185.8% |
| 2011 | 5.6% | -24.4% |
| 2012 | 6.3% | +13.3% |
| 2013 | 7.7% | +22.5% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | +10.5% |
| 2015 | 9.4% | +10.4% |
| 2016 | 9.5% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 9.4% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 8.1% | -13.7% |
| 2019 | 8.4% | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 6.1% | -27.1% |
| 2021 | 6.9% | +13.2% |
| 2022 | 6.9% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 6.8% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 7.4% | +8.6% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 7.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.0%, 83% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 7.4% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 15.0%, 49% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Pakistan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +185.8% | 2.6% | 7.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.2% | 2.4% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.1% | 6.2% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.6% | 5.4% | 17.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 2.6% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.0% | 5.6% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.8% | 6.1% | 7.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 67 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8.1% compare
- 68 Dominican Republic 7.8% compare
- 69 Sierra Leone 7.5% compare
- 71 Yemen 7.2% compare
- 72 Guinea 7.0% compare
- 73 Ghana 7.0% compare
More external debt data for Pakistan
- IFC, private nonguaranteed -68.88 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -0.2741 NFL, US$ 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$), per square kilometre -56.68 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 3.1% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA 537.03 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 2.14 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0014 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD 172.53 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 27.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Pakistan?
- Short-term debt in Pakistan was 7.4% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 17.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1977.
- How does Pakistan rank for short-term debt?
- Pakistan ranks 70th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Pakistan 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.