Total debt service (% of GDP) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Total debt service (% of GDP) was 0.2% in 2011. ◆ Volatile
Total debt service in Nigeria, 1970–2011
Source: World Bank, Global Development Finance. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total debt service in Nigeria is 0.2%, measured in 2011.
The figure is up 9.3% on the previous year and down 96.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total debt service in Nigeria peaked at 15.6% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1970.
That places Nigeria 49th out of 50 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Total debt service (% of GDP) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1971 | 1.0% | +4218.6% |
| 1972 | 0.8% | -24.6% |
| 1973 | 1.5% | +94.3% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | -48.8% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | +25.7% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | +13.5% |
| 1977 | 0.4% | -65.2% |
| 1978 | 0.4% | +6.3% |
| 1979 | 0.8% | +103.4% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | +116.2% |
| 1981 | 3.0% | +66.7% |
| 1982 | 4.2% | +40.6% |
| 1983 | 7.3% | +74.7% |
| 1984 | 14.4% | +96.6% |
| 1985 | 15.6% | +8.0% |
| 1986 | 10.1% | -34.9% |
| 1987 | 4.7% | -53.5% |
| 1988 | 9.7% | +105.0% |
| 1989 | 8.9% | -8.2% |
| 1990 | 11.7% | +31.9% |
| 1991 | 10.8% | -8.0% |
| 1992 | 7.4% | -31.5% |
| 1993 | 7.0% | -5.4% |
| 1994 | 7.9% | +13.3% |
| 1995 | 6.5% | -17.6% |
| 1996 | 6.3% | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 3.9% | -38.1% |
| 1998 | 4.1% | +6.0% |
| 1999 | 3.1% | -25.6% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | +30.8% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | +32.5% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | -52.7% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -19.0% |
| 2005 | 7.9% | +301.0% |
| 2006 | 4.7% | -40.6% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | -83.9% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | -63.1% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | +6.6% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -47.2% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | +9.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 0.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.3%, 13% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 0.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8%, 21% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total debt service (% of GDP) in Nigeria 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 | +4218.6% | 0.0% | 1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.0% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.0% | 1.8% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.9% | 3.1% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 0.3% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More external debt data for Nigeria
- Net financial flows, IBRD 141.84 million NFL, current US$ (2025)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 0.4399 NFL, US$ 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$), per square kilometre 56.33 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 8.24 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0076 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 1,640 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Use of IMF credit 5.52 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 56.88 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, long-term 111.36 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total debt service in Nigeria?
- Total debt service in Nigeria was 0.2% in 2011, according to World Bank, Global Development Finance.
- What is the highest total debt service recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 15.6% in 1985.
- What is the lowest total debt service recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for total debt service?
- Nigeria ranks 49th out of 50 countries with data for 2011.
- Is total debt service rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 96.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.