Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Short-term debt (% of total external debt) was 27.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Short-term debt in Zimbabwe, 1970–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total external debt.
Analysis
In 2024, short-term debt in Zimbabwe stood at 27.5%.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and down 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Zimbabwe peaked at 31.6% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1973.
That places Zimbabwe 14th out of 122 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.4% | — |
| 1971 | 2.0% | +46.0% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | +14.8% |
| 1973 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1974 | 0.0% | — |
| 1975 | 0.0% | — |
| 1976 | 0.0% | — |
| 1977 | 23.1% | — |
| 1978 | 6.3% | -72.8% |
| 1979 | 6.3% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 11.5% | +83.0% |
| 1981 | 31.6% | +175.8% |
| 1982 | 31.1% | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 21.9% | -29.6% |
| 1984 | 15.7% | -28.2% |
| 1985 | 12.7% | -19.3% |
| 1986 | 11.0% | -13.5% |
| 1987 | 9.0% | -18.2% |
| 1988 | 11.0% | +22.7% |
| 1989 | 14.4% | +30.6% |
| 1990 | 17.8% | +23.8% |
| 1991 | 15.9% | -10.4% |
| 1992 | 16.9% | +6.2% |
| 1993 | 13.9% | -17.8% |
| 1994 | 10.9% | -21.8% |
| 1995 | 13.5% | +24.0% |
| 1996 | 15.8% | +17.0% |
| 1997 | 19.7% | +24.7% |
| 1998 | 16.4% | -16.6% |
| 1999 | 16.9% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 14.4% | -15.1% |
| 2001 | 15.1% | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 14.1% | -6.7% |
| 2003 | 18.0% | +27.7% |
| 2004 | 20.4% | +13.8% |
| 2005 | 23.7% | +15.8% |
| 2006 | 26.7% | +13.0% |
| 2007 | 30.6% | +14.4% |
| 2008 | 30.5% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 25.6% | -15.9% |
| 2010 | 26.0% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 26.9% | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 26.5% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 31.5% | +18.8% |
| 2014 | 30.5% | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 30.7% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 26.6% | -13.5% |
| 2017 | 29.0% | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 26.1% | -9.8% |
| 2019 | 28.1% | +7.5% |
| 2020 | 29.6% | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 26.5% | -10.4% |
| 2022 | 28.2% | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 27.1% | -3.9% |
| 2024 | 27.5% | +1.8% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 27.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.0%, 3.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 27.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.2%, 5.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Zimbabwe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +175.8% | 11.5% | 31.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.1% | 0.0% | 23.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.0% | 9.0% | 31.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.8% | 10.9% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.9% | 14.1% | 30.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.2% | 26.0% | 31.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.8% | 26.5% | 29.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More external debt data for Zimbabwe
- IFC, private nonguaranteed 0 NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 0 NFL, US$ 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$), per square kilometre 0 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 0.2% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA -43,000 NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita -0.0026 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP -0 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD -750,000 NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Zimbabwe?
- Short-term debt in Zimbabwe was 27.5% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 31.6% in 1981.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1973.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for short-term debt?
- Zimbabwe ranks 14th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.