External balance on goods and services in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC): External balance on goods and services was -5.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
External balance on goods and services in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), 1986–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, external balance on goods and services in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) stood at -5.9%. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
That represents a change of up 17.3% on the previous year and up 51.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) peaked at -5.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, -12.2%, in 2015.
Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) ranks 38th of 44 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
External balance on goods and services in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | -6.1% | — |
| 1987 | -7.8% | +27.9% |
| 1988 | -8.0% | +3.4% |
| 1989 | -6.6% | -18.3% |
| 1990 | -6.1% | -7.2% |
| 1991 | -8.1% | +33.5% |
| 1992 | -8.3% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | -7.6% | -9.0% |
| 1994 | -8.3% | +9.9% |
| 1995 | -7.5% | -10.1% |
| 1996 | -7.6% | +2.3% |
| 1997 | -7.9% | +3.7% |
| 1998 | -9.4% | +18.5% |
| 1999 | -10.2% | +9.0% |
| 2000 | -8.3% | -18.8% |
| 2001 | -8.5% | +2.5% |
| 2002 | -8.8% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | -9.1% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | -8.2% | -9.2% |
| 2005 | -8.9% | +8.1% |
| 2006 | -7.4% | -16.6% |
| 2007 | -9.1% | +21.9% |
| 2008 | -9.2% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | -9.4% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | -8.4% | -10.7% |
| 2011 | -8.7% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | -10.2% | +17.3% |
| 2013 | -10.8% | +5.7% |
| 2014 | -10.5% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | -12.2% | +16.9% |
| 2016 | -11.2% | -8.8% |
| 2017 | -8.7% | -22.2% |
| 2018 | -8.7% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | -8.2% | -5.0% |
| 2020 | -7.4% | -10.1% |
| 2021 | -7.1% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | -8.6% | +20.7% |
| 2023 | -8.4% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | -7.2% | -14.6% |
| 2025 | -5.9% | -17.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | -7.1% | -8.0% | -6.1% | 4 |
| 1990s | -8.1% | -10.2% | -6.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | -8.7% | -9.4% | -7.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | -9.7% | -12.2% | -8.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | -7.4% | -8.6% | -5.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
More economy & growth data for Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 7.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 148.43 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 6.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.0884 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 117.76 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 897.08 current US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 0.5368 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 4.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.1114 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 0.6735 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- External balance on goods and services in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) was -5.9% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest external balance on goods and services recorded in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- The highest recorded value was -5.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- The lowest recorded value was -12.2% in 2015.
- How does Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) ranks 38th out of 44 groups with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of External balance on goods and services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.