External debt as a share of gross national income in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: External debt as a share of gross national income was 19.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
19.9%
Change on year
down 14.8%
World rank
106th
of 121 countries
All-time high
24.8%
in 2021
All-time low
12.3%
in 2014
Years of data
18
2006–2023

External debt as a share of gross national income in Afghanistan, 2006–2023

05101520252006201420232006: 13.8 %2007: 20.5 %2008: 21.2 %2009: 20 %2010: 15.3 %2011: 14 %2012: 12.9 %2013: 12.8 %2014: 12.3 %2015: 13.5 %2016: 14.2 %2017: 14.5 %2018: 14.6 %2019: 13.9 %2020: 15.1 %2021: 24.8 %2022: 23.3 %2023: 19.9 %

Source: World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for external debt as a share of gross national income in Afghanistan is 19.9%, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.8% on the previous year and up 55.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, external debt as a share of gross national income in Afghanistan peaked at 24.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 12.3%, in 2014.

That places Afghanistan 106th out of 121 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

External debt as a share of gross national income in Afghanistan, year by year

Annual values for External debt as a share of gross national income in Afghanistan, 2006 to 2023.
Year % Change
2006 13.8%
2007 20.5% +48.5%
2008 21.2% +3.6%
2009 20.0% -5.5%
2010 15.3% -23.5%
2011 14.0% -8.8%
2012 12.9% -7.5%
2013 12.8% -1.0%
2014 12.3% -3.9%
2015 13.5% +9.7%
2016 14.2% +4.9%
2017 14.5% +2.5%
2018 14.6% +0.9%
2019 13.9% -4.7%
2020 15.1% +8.4%
2021 24.8% +64.0%
2022 23.3% -5.8%
2023 19.9% -14.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 18.9% 13.8% 21.2% 4
2010s 13.8% 12.3% 15.3% 10
2020s 20.8% 15.1% 24.8% 4

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 103 Guinea 23.2% compare
  2. 104 Guyana 22.6% compare
  3. 105 Bangladesh 22.2% compare
  4. 107 India 18.6% compare
  5. 108 Democratic Republic of Congo 18.2% compare
  6. 109 Azerbaijan 17.0% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More economy & growth data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is external debt as a share of gross national income in Afghanistan?
External debt as a share of gross national income in Afghanistan was 19.9% in 2023, according to World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest external debt as a share of gross national income recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 24.8% in 2021.
What is the lowest external debt as a share of gross national income recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 12.3% in 2014.
How does Afghanistan rank for external debt as a share of gross national income?
Afghanistan ranks 106th out of 121 countries with data for 2023.
Is external debt as a share of gross national income rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 55.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of External debt as a share of gross national income. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

External debt as a share of gross national income in Afghanistan. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/external-debt-as-a-share-of-gni/afghanistan/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/external-debt-as-a-share-of-gni/afghanistan/">External debt as a share of gross national income in Afghanistan</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
External debt as a share of gross national income
Unit
%
Source
World Bank – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
121 places, 2,923 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

External debt stocks as a proportion of GNI (%).