Total debt service (% of GDP) in Ghana
Ghana: Total debt service (% of GDP) was 0.9% in 2011. ◆ Volatile
Total debt service in Ghana, 1970–2011
Source: World Bank, Global Development Finance. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2011, total debt service in Ghana stood at 0.9%.
The figure is down 23.1% on the previous year and down 83.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total debt service in Ghana peaked at 10.4% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1970.
Ghana ranks 25th of 50 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Total debt service (% of GDP) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1971 | 2.3% | +97843.9% |
| 1972 | 1.5% | -34.2% |
| 1973 | 1.3% | -14.9% |
| 1974 | 1.1% | -13.5% |
| 1975 | 2.1% | +82.0% |
| 1976 | 1.9% | -9.1% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | -36.7% |
| 1978 | 2.0% | +69.9% |
| 1979 | 2.6% | +27.6% |
| 1980 | 3.6% | +38.9% |
| 1981 | 2.8% | -21.5% |
| 1982 | 2.8% | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 3.6% | +30.1% |
| 1984 | 3.0% | -15.9% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | +17.4% |
| 1986 | 4.0% | +12.5% |
| 1987 | 8.2% | +105.5% |
| 1988 | 10.4% | +27.8% |
| 1989 | 8.6% | -17.7% |
| 1990 | 6.2% | -28.1% |
| 1991 | 4.4% | -28.1% |
| 1992 | 4.8% | +7.8% |
| 1993 | 4.9% | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 6.3% | +26.4% |
| 1995 | 6.0% | -4.4% |
| 1996 | 6.4% | +7.2% |
| 1997 | 7.3% | +14.3% |
| 1998 | 6.4% | -12.7% |
| 1999 | 5.5% | -13.2% |
| 2000 | 7.9% | +41.8% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | -32.5% |
| 2002 | 3.3% | -37.1% |
| 2003 | 6.0% | +80.1% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | -46.8% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -54.7% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -32.5% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +10.3% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +7.0% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -23.1% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 0.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.3%, 69% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 0.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total debt service (% of GDP) in Ghana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +97843.9% | 0.0% | 2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.6% | 0.0% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.0% | 2.8% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.8% | 4.4% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 1.0% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More external debt data for Ghana
- Net financial flows, IBRD -2.25 million NFL, current US$ (2005)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -1.02 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP -0.0004 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre -281.78 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 24.5 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0101 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 2,240 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Use of IMF credit 5.36 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 26.55 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, long-term 30.56 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total debt service in Ghana?
- Total debt service in Ghana was 0.9% in 2011, according to World Bank, Global Development Finance.
- What is the highest total debt service recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 10.4% in 1988.
- What is the lowest total debt service recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1970.
- How does Ghana rank for total debt service?
- Ghana ranks 25th out of 50 countries with data for 2011.
- Is total debt service rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 83.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana 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.