Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Short-term debt (% of total external debt) was 10.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Short-term debt in Sri Lanka, 1970–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total external debt.
Analysis
In 2024, short-term debt in Sri Lanka stood at 10.2%.
The figure is down 15.1% on the previous year and down 40.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Sri Lanka peaked at 18.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 1992.
Sri Lanka ranks 56th of 122 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.7% | — |
| 1971 | 8.9% | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 8.8% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 8.7% | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 8.8% | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 8.8% | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 8.7% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 12.8% | +46.8% |
| 1978 | 8.0% | -37.7% |
| 1979 | 8.7% | +9.4% |
| 1980 | 11.9% | +36.5% |
| 1981 | 9.1% | -23.5% |
| 1982 | 10.5% | +15.2% |
| 1983 | 9.8% | -6.4% |
| 1984 | 6.5% | -33.8% |
| 1985 | 5.8% | -10.4% |
| 1986 | 4.5% | -22.4% |
| 1987 | 5.7% | +27.3% |
| 1988 | 11.1% | +93.9% |
| 1989 | 7.7% | -30.7% |
| 1990 | 6.9% | -10.7% |
| 1991 | 6.2% | -9.8% |
| 1992 | 3.9% | -38.0% |
| 1993 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6.8% | +75.2% |
| 1995 | 6.4% | -5.7% |
| 1996 | 6.7% | +5.7% |
| 1997 | 5.8% | -13.8% |
| 1998 | 4.6% | -20.2% |
| 1999 | 9.3% | +101.5% |
| 2000 | 7.4% | -20.8% |
| 2001 | 8.2% | +10.5% |
| 2002 | 9.3% | +14.1% |
| 2003 | 7.1% | -24.2% |
| 2004 | 8.9% | +25.8% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | -23.1% |
| 2006 | 5.8% | -14.6% |
| 2007 | 9.4% | +61.9% |
| 2008 | 16.7% | +76.8% |
| 2009 | 18.2% | +9.1% |
| 2010 | 11.1% | -38.9% |
| 2011 | 13.9% | +24.4% |
| 2012 | 18.0% | +29.6% |
| 2013 | 17.2% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 17.3% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 17.3% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 15.9% | -8.0% |
| 2017 | 15.8% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 15.5% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 15.0% | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 14.8% | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 14.7% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 14.6% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 12.1% | -17.6% |
| 2024 | 10.2% | -15.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 10.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.8%, 87% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 10.2% is above the median for South Asia, which is 7.2%, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.1% | 8.0% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.3% | 4.5% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.1% | 3.9% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.8% | 5.8% | 18.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.7% | 11.1% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.3% | 10.2% | 14.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More external debt data for Sri Lanka
- IFC, private nonguaranteed -48.93 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -2.23 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP -0.0005 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre -592.87 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 2.8% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA 260.96 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 11.91 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0026 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD 64.29 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 13.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Sri Lanka?
- Short-term debt in Sri Lanka was 10.2% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 18.2% in 2009.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 1992.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for short-term debt?
- Sri Lanka ranks 56th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.