Short-term debt in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Short-term debt was 7.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Short-term debt in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone is 7.5%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 13.1% on the previous year and down 49.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Sierra Leone peaked at 16.6% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1970.
Sierra Leone ranks 68th of 121 countries on this measure, 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 in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1971 | 0.0% | — |
| 1972 | 0.0% | — |
| 1973 | 0.0% | — |
| 1974 | 0.1% | — |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +710.5% |
| 1976 | 1.6% | +83.7% |
| 1977 | 1.6% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 0.3% | -82.3% |
| 1979 | 1.4% | +406.9% |
| 1980 | 1.4% | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 1.4% | -2.0% |
| 1982 | 1.9% | +36.6% |
| 1983 | 2.7% | +38.2% |
| 1984 | 2.7% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 3.9% | +46.8% |
| 1986 | 2.1% | -46.4% |
| 1987 | 3.2% | +50.3% |
| 1988 | 5.4% | +70.1% |
| 1989 | 8.7% | +61.6% |
| 1990 | 12.4% | +41.8% |
| 1991 | 16.1% | +29.9% |
| 1992 | 9.7% | -39.8% |
| 1993 | 9.8% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | -89.4% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | +107.5% |
| 1996 | 2.0% | -9.1% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -59.6% |
| 1998 | 2.3% | +189.7% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | +14.4% |
| 2000 | 3.7% | +42.0% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | -58.7% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -51.9% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | +44.6% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | +19.8% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -33.3% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +17.4% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +54.6% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | +89.0% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -83.5% |
| 2011 | 3.3% | +653.7% |
| 2012 | 16.6% | +396.8% |
| 2013 | 15.3% | -7.8% |
| 2014 | 14.9% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 13.7% | -7.9% |
| 2016 | 12.4% | -9.9% |
| 2017 | 10.9% | -12.1% |
| 2018 | 10.3% | -5.4% |
| 2019 | 9.7% | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 8.4% | -13.3% |
| 2021 | 7.4% | -12.3% |
| 2022 | 6.7% | -8.4% |
| 2023 | 6.6% | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 7.5% | +13.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.0% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.4% | 1.4% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.9% | 0.8% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 0.7% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.7% | 0.4% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.3% | 6.6% | 8.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 65 Uzbekistan 8.1% compare
- 66 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8.1% compare
- 67 Dominican Republic 7.8% compare
- 69 Pakistan 7.4% compare
- 70 Yemen 7.2% compare
- 71 Guinea 7.0% compare
More external debt data for Sierra Leone
- IFC, private nonguaranteed 9.00 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 1.04 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP 0.0013 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 0 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 1.0% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA -4.82 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita -0.5577 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP -0.0007 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD -284,000 NFL, current US$ (2000)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 4.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Sierra Leone?
- Short-term debt in Sierra Leone was 7.5% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 16.6% in 2012.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1970.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for short-term debt?
- Sierra Leone ranks 68th out of 121 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.