Total debt service (% of GDP) in Gambia
Gambia: Total debt service (% of GDP) was 2.7% in 2011. ◆ Volatile
Total debt service in Gambia, 1970–2011
Source: World Bank, Global Development Finance. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2011, total debt service in Gambia stood at 2.7%.
The figure is up 12.7% on the previous year and up 29.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total debt service in Gambia peaked at 16.8% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1970.
That places Gambia 8th out of 50 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Total debt service (% of GDP) in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1971 | 0.3% | — |
| 1972 | 0.8% | +119.1% |
| 1973 | 0.6% | -25.7% |
| 1974 | 0.5% | -5.0% |
| 1975 | 1.6% | +196.7% |
| 1976 | 0.3% | -79.5% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | +42.5% |
| 1978 | 1.5% | +228.7% |
| 1979 | 2.4% | +60.2% |
| 1980 | 1.7% | -29.8% |
| 1981 | 3.1% | +82.5% |
| 1982 | 7.8% | +150.2% |
| 1983 | 6.5% | -16.6% |
| 1984 | 7.3% | +11.2% |
| 1985 | 4.0% | -45.3% |
| 1986 | 16.8% | +321.9% |
| 1987 | 11.6% | -31.1% |
| 1988 | 8.6% | -25.5% |
| 1989 | 8.4% | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 11.9% | +42.2% |
| 1991 | 4.4% | -62.9% |
| 1992 | 4.2% | -6.0% |
| 1993 | 3.7% | -10.8% |
| 1994 | 4.2% | +12.5% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | -14.4% |
| 1996 | 3.3% | -7.6% |
| 1997 | 3.3% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | -7.6% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | -14.4% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | -24.3% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | +23.2% |
| 2003 | 4.2% | +61.9% |
| 2004 | 6.5% | +55.1% |
| 2005 | 4.6% | -29.6% |
| 2006 | 4.6% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 4.2% | -8.3% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | -58.3% |
| 2009 | 2.1% | +18.7% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | +15.1% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | +12.7% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 2.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.6%, 4.5× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 2.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8%, 3.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total debt service (% of GDP) in Gambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +321.9% | 4.0% | 16.8% |
| 1978 | +228.7% | 0.5% | 1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.0% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.6% | 1.7% | 16.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.4% | 2.6% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.6% | 1.8% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More external debt data for Gambia
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -0.0288 NFL, US$ 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$), per square kilometre -30.29 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita -0.9239 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP -0.0011 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 163.93 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Use of IMF credit 333.31 million DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 1.05 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, long-term 1.35 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, short-term 112.06 million DOD, current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total debt service in Gambia?
- Total debt service in Gambia was 2.7% in 2011, according to World Bank, Global Development Finance.
- What is the highest total debt service recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 16.8% in 1986.
- What is the lowest total debt service recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1970.
- How does Gambia rank for total debt service?
- Gambia ranks 8th out of 50 countries with data for 2011.
- Is total debt service rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Global Development Finance, published as part of Total debt service (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.