External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) in Cameroon
Cameroon: External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) was 17.58 billion DOD, current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
17.58 billion DOD, current US$
Change on year
up 10.5%
World rank
54th
of 123 countries
All-time high
17.58 billion DOD, current US$
in 2025
All-time low
145.93 million DOD, current US$
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
External debt stocks, total in Cameroon, 1970–2025
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in DOD, current US$.
Analysis
In 2025, external debt stocks, total in Cameroon stood at 17.58 billion DOD, current US$. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 10.5% on the previous year and up 140.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks, total in Cameroon peaked at 17.58 billion DOD, current US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 145.93 million DOD, current US$, in 1970.
Cameroon ranks 54th of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | DOD, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 145.93 million DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1971 | 180.10 million DOD, current US$ | +23.4% |
| 1972 | 221.57 million DOD, current US$ | +23.0% |
| 1973 | 265.90 million DOD, current US$ | +20.0% |
| 1974 | 323.59 million DOD, current US$ | +21.7% |
| 1975 | 441.41 million DOD, current US$ | +36.4% |
| 1976 | 610.92 million DOD, current US$ | +38.4% |
| 1977 | 1.11 billion DOD, current US$ | +82.2% |
| 1978 | 1.53 billion DOD, current US$ | +37.4% |
| 1979 | 2.17 billion DOD, current US$ | +42.0% |
| 1980 | 2.57 billion DOD, current US$ | +18.5% |
| 1981 | 2.65 billion DOD, current US$ | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 2.80 billion DOD, current US$ | +5.9% |
| 1983 | 2.90 billion DOD, current US$ | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 2.90 billion DOD, current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3.16 billion DOD, current US$ | +9.2% |
| 1986 | 4.14 billion DOD, current US$ | +30.9% |
| 1987 | 4.59 billion DOD, current US$ | +10.9% |
| 1988 | 4.81 billion DOD, current US$ | +4.9% |
| 1989 | 5.36 billion DOD, current US$ | +11.5% |
| 1990 | 6.56 billion DOD, current US$ | +22.3% |
| 1991 | 6.77 billion DOD, current US$ | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 7.51 billion DOD, current US$ | +11.0% |
| 1993 | 7.75 billion DOD, current US$ | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 9.36 billion DOD, current US$ | +20.8% |
| 1995 | 10.95 billion DOD, current US$ | +17.0% |
| 1996 | 11.07 billion DOD, current US$ | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 10.75 billion DOD, current US$ | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 11.32 billion DOD, current US$ | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 10.77 billion DOD, current US$ | -4.9% |
| 2000 | 10.56 billion DOD, current US$ | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 9.75 billion DOD, current US$ | -7.7% |
| 2002 | 10.29 billion DOD, current US$ | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 11.41 billion DOD, current US$ | +10.9% |
| 2004 | 10.86 billion DOD, current US$ | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 7.70 billion DOD, current US$ | -29.1% |
| 2006 | 3.42 billion DOD, current US$ | -55.6% |
| 2007 | 3.09 billion DOD, current US$ | -9.7% |
| 2008 | 2.84 billion DOD, current US$ | -8.1% |
| 2009 | 3.24 billion DOD, current US$ | +14.2% |
| 2010 | 3.19 billion DOD, current US$ | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 3.09 billion DOD, current US$ | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 3.89 billion DOD, current US$ | +25.6% |
| 2013 | 5.18 billion DOD, current US$ | +33.2% |
| 2014 | 5.77 billion DOD, current US$ | +11.3% |
| 2015 | 7.30 billion DOD, current US$ | +26.7% |
| 2016 | 7.89 billion DOD, current US$ | +8.0% |
| 2017 | 10.05 billion DOD, current US$ | +27.4% |
| 2018 | 11.19 billion DOD, current US$ | +11.4% |
| 2019 | 12.61 billion DOD, current US$ | +12.6% |
| 2020 | 13.88 billion DOD, current US$ | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 15.61 billion DOD, current US$ | +12.5% |
| 2022 | 15.13 billion DOD, current US$ | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 15.47 billion DOD, current US$ | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 15.90 billion DOD, current US$ | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 17.58 billion DOD, current US$ | +10.5% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 17.58 billion DOD, current US$ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.63 billion DOD, current US$, 1.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 17.58 billion DOD, current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.71 billion DOD, current US$, 2.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 700.34 million DOD, current US$ | 145.93 million DOD, current US$ | 2.17 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.59 billion DOD, current US$ | 2.57 billion DOD, current US$ | 5.36 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.28 billion DOD, current US$ | 6.56 billion DOD, current US$ | 11.32 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.31 billion DOD, current US$ | 2.84 billion DOD, current US$ | 11.41 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.02 billion DOD, current US$ | 3.09 billion DOD, current US$ | 12.61 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.59 billion DOD, current US$ | 13.88 billion DOD, current US$ | 17.58 billion DOD, current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 51 Laos 19.41 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 52 Armenia 18.73 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 53 Iraq 18.72 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 55 Benin 16.89 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 56 Bolivia 16.63 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 57 Bosnia and Herzegovina 16.03 billion DOD, current US$ compare
More economy & growth data for Cameroon
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 5.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.05 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.53 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -0.6569 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 0.7283 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -5.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 0.5318 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 17.96 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt stocks, total in Cameroon?
- External debt stocks, total in Cameroon was 17.58 billion DOD, current US$ in 2025, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest external debt stocks, total recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 17.58 billion DOD, current US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks, total recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 145.93 million DOD, current US$ in 1970.
- How does Cameroon rank for external debt stocks, total?
- Cameroon ranks 54th out of 123 countries with data for 2025.
- Is external debt stocks, total rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 140.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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. Data are in current U.S. dollars.