Short-term debt in South Africa
South Africa: Short-term debt was 26.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Short-term debt in South Africa, 1994–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total external debt.
Analysis
The most recent figure for short-term debt in South Africa is 26.6%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 4.6% on the previous year and down 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in South Africa peaked at 44.0% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 21.1%, in 2020.
South Africa ranks 15th of 121 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Short-term debt in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 35.7% | — |
| 1995 | 38.1% | +6.8% |
| 1996 | 41.6% | +9.0% |
| 1997 | 35.7% | -14.2% |
| 1998 | 44.0% | +23.3% |
| 1999 | 42.0% | -4.4% |
| 2000 | 35.8% | -14.8% |
| 2001 | 32.5% | -9.2% |
| 2002 | 22.9% | -29.5% |
| 2003 | 27.9% | +21.6% |
| 2004 | 30.8% | +10.3% |
| 2005 | 38.9% | +26.5% |
| 2006 | 42.1% | +8.1% |
| 2007 | 40.1% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 42.3% | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 34.6% | -18.2% |
| 2010 | 27.8% | -19.6% |
| 2011 | 23.6% | -15.1% |
| 2012 | 24.7% | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 25.6% | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 28.4% | +11.1% |
| 2015 | 29.0% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 25.8% | -10.9% |
| 2017 | 23.4% | -9.5% |
| 2018 | 26.6% | +13.7% |
| 2019 | 23.3% | -12.2% |
| 2020 | 21.1% | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 21.4% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 25.0% | +16.8% |
| 2023 | 25.5% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 26.6% | +4.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 39.5% | 35.7% | 44.0% | 6 |
| 2000s | 34.8% | 22.9% | 42.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.8% | 23.3% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.9% | 21.1% | 26.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More external debt data for South Africa
- IFC, private nonguaranteed -15.41 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -0.2407 NFL, US$ 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$), per square kilometre 444.22 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 2.3% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD 910.75 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 6.5% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD (NFL, current US$), annual growth rate -109.7 % change on previous year (2023)
- Other investment, Debt instruments 53.54 billion US dollar (2025)
- Use of IMF credit 7.63 billion DOD, current US$ (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in South Africa?
- Short-term debt in South Africa was 26.6% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 44.0% in 1998.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.1% in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for short-term debt?
- South Africa ranks 15th out of 121 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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.