External debt stocks in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: External debt stocks was 24.3% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
External debt stocks in Ethiopia, 1970–2022
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of GNI.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 24.3% for external debt stocks in 2022.
That represents a change of down 16.1% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks in Ethiopia peaked at 143.6% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1970.
That places Ethiopia 101st out of 122 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External debt stocks in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of GNI | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.6% | — |
| 1971 | 6.4% | +14.0% |
| 1972 | 6.5% | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 6.3% | -2.1% |
| 1974 | 6.2% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 7.5% | +21.3% |
| 1976 | 8.1% | +8.1% |
| 1977 | 8.9% | +8.8% |
| 1978 | 9.4% | +6.4% |
| 1979 | 11.2% | +19.2% |
| 1980 | 11.7% | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 24.6% | +109.3% |
| 1982 | 41.6% | +69.2% |
| 1983 | 43.9% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 51.0% | +16.3% |
| 1985 | 53.8% | +5.5% |
| 1986 | 61.1% | +13.4% |
| 1987 | 68.7% | +12.5% |
| 1988 | 69.4% | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 67.2% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 69.7% | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 66.5% | -4.5% |
| 1992 | 87.5% | +31.5% |
| 1993 | 108.5% | +24.0% |
| 1994 | 143.6% | +32.3% |
| 1995 | 132.4% | -7.7% |
| 1996 | 115.8% | -12.6% |
| 1997 | 115.9% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 130.4% | +12.5% |
| 1999 | 71.1% | -45.5% |
| 2000 | 67.4% | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 70.2% | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 84.0% | +19.6% |
| 2003 | 85.1% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 65.2% | -23.3% |
| 2005 | 49.9% | -23.4% |
| 2006 | 14.6% | -70.8% |
| 2007 | 13.1% | -9.8% |
| 2008 | 10.5% | -20.0% |
| 2009 | 16.5% | +57.4% |
| 2010 | 24.4% | +47.6% |
| 2011 | 27.0% | +10.5% |
| 2012 | 24.2% | -10.3% |
| 2013 | 26.5% | +9.3% |
| 2014 | 30.6% | +15.4% |
| 2015 | 31.8% | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 31.6% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 32.2% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 35.6% | +10.5% |
| 2019 | 31.9% | -10.4% |
| 2020 | 30.2% | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 28.9% | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 24.3% | -16.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.6% | 5.6% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 49.3% | 11.7% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 104.1% | 66.5% | 143.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.7% | 10.5% | 85.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.6% | 24.2% | 35.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.8% | 24.3% | 30.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More economy & growth data for Ethiopia
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.042 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 39.2 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 5.02 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 4,682 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.0578 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 53.92 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 1,431 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual -7.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.2776 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 258.96 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt stocks in Ethiopia?
- External debt stocks in Ethiopia was 24.3% in 2022, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest external debt stocks recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 143.6% in 1994.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1970.
- How does Ethiopia rank for external debt stocks?
- Ethiopia ranks 101st out of 122 countries with data for 2022.
- Is external debt stocks rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of External debt stocks (% of GNI). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total external debt stocks to gross national income. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. GNI (formerly GNP) is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad.