Short-term debt in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Short-term debt was 10.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
10.2%
Change on year
down 15.1%
World rank
55th
of 121 countries
All-time high
18.2%
in 2009
All-time low
3.9%
in 1992
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Short-term debt in Sri Lanka, 1970–2024

5101520197019972024

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 55th of 121 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 in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Sri Lanka, 1970 to 2024.
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%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 52 El Salvador 10.6% compare
  2. 53 Côte d'Ivoire 10.6% compare
  3. 54 Mexico 10.3% compare
  4. 56 Zambia 9.9% compare
  5. 57 Angola 9.9% compare
  6. 58 Congo 9.8% compare

See the full ranking of 133 places →

More external debt data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

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 55th out of 121 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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Short-term debt in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://debt.statizoid.com/stat/short-term-debt-percent-of-total-external-debt/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Short-term debt (% of total external debt)
Unit
% of total external debt
Source
International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
133 places, 6,524 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

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.