External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: External debt stocks, total was 36.55 billion DOD, current US$ in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
36.55 billion DOD, current US$
Change on year
up 9.8%
World rank
38th
of 122 countries
All-time high
36.55 billion DOD, current US$
in 2024
All-time low
169.29 million DOD, current US$
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
External debt stocks, total in Ethiopia, 1970–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in DOD, current US$.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 36.55 billion DOD, current US$ for external debt stocks, total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.8% on the previous year and up 115.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks, total in Ethiopia peaked at 36.55 billion DOD, current US$ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 169.29 million DOD, current US$, in 1970.
Ethiopia ranks 38th of 122 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External debt stocks, total in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | DOD, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 169.29 million DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1971 | 204.42 million DOD, current US$ | +20.7% |
| 1972 | 226.99 million DOD, current US$ | +11.0% |
| 1973 | 256.40 million DOD, current US$ | +13.0% |
| 1974 | 283.13 million DOD, current US$ | +10.4% |
| 1975 | 343.68 million DOD, current US$ | +21.4% |
| 1976 | 402.65 million DOD, current US$ | +17.2% |
| 1977 | 500.73 million DOD, current US$ | +24.4% |
| 1978 | 567.29 million DOD, current US$ | +13.3% |
| 1979 | 740.07 million DOD, current US$ | +30.5% |
| 1980 | 823.66 million DOD, current US$ | +11.3% |
| 1981 | 1.84 billion DOD, current US$ | +123.6% |
| 1982 | 3.28 billion DOD, current US$ | +78.1% |
| 1983 | 3.85 billion DOD, current US$ | +17.2% |
| 1984 | 4.22 billion DOD, current US$ | +9.8% |
| 1985 | 5.21 billion DOD, current US$ | +23.4% |
| 1986 | 6.14 billion DOD, current US$ | +17.9% |
| 1987 | 7.38 billion DOD, current US$ | +20.1% |
| 1988 | 7.72 billion DOD, current US$ | +4.6% |
| 1989 | 7.86 billion DOD, current US$ | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 8.65 billion DOD, current US$ | +10.1% |
| 1991 | 9.13 billion DOD, current US$ | +5.6% |
| 1992 | 9.36 billion DOD, current US$ | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 9.72 billion DOD, current US$ | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 10.08 billion DOD, current US$ | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 10.32 billion DOD, current US$ | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 10.09 billion DOD, current US$ | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 10.09 billion DOD, current US$ | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 10.36 billion DOD, current US$ | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 5.57 billion DOD, current US$ | -46.2% |
| 2000 | 5.52 billion DOD, current US$ | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 5.75 billion DOD, current US$ | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 6.55 billion DOD, current US$ | +14.0% |
| 2003 | 7.28 billion DOD, current US$ | +11.1% |
| 2004 | 6.57 billion DOD, current US$ | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 6.18 billion DOD, current US$ | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 2.22 billion DOD, current US$ | -64.0% |
| 2007 | 2.59 billion DOD, current US$ | +16.7% |
| 2008 | 2.85 billion DOD, current US$ | +9.8% |
| 2009 | 5.36 billion DOD, current US$ | +88.3% |
| 2010 | 7.29 billion DOD, current US$ | +35.9% |
| 2011 | 8.61 billion DOD, current US$ | +18.1% |
| 2012 | 10.47 billion DOD, current US$ | +21.6% |
| 2013 | 12.59 billion DOD, current US$ | +20.3% |
| 2014 | 16.95 billion DOD, current US$ | +34.6% |
| 2015 | 20.44 billion DOD, current US$ | +20.6% |
| 2016 | 23.40 billion DOD, current US$ | +14.4% |
| 2017 | 26.17 billion DOD, current US$ | +11.9% |
| 2018 | 29.84 billion DOD, current US$ | +14.0% |
| 2019 | 30.38 billion DOD, current US$ | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 32.36 billion DOD, current US$ | +6.5% |
| 2021 | 32.00 billion DOD, current US$ | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 30.62 billion DOD, current US$ | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 33.27 billion DOD, current US$ | +8.7% |
| 2024 | 36.55 billion DOD, current US$ | +9.8% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 36.55 billion DOD, current US$ is above the median for low income countries, which is 4.76 billion DOD, current US$, 7.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 36.55 billion DOD, current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.69 billion DOD, current US$, 5.5× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External debt stocks, total in Ethiopia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +123.6% | 823.66 million DOD, current US$ | 1.84 billion DOD, current US$ |
| 2009 | +88.3% | 2.85 billion DOD, current US$ | 5.36 billion DOD, current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 369.46 million DOD, current US$ | 169.29 million DOD, current US$ | 740.07 million DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.83 billion DOD, current US$ | 823.66 million DOD, current US$ | 7.86 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.34 billion DOD, current US$ | 5.57 billion DOD, current US$ | 10.36 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.09 billion DOD, current US$ | 2.22 billion DOD, current US$ | 7.28 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.61 billion DOD, current US$ | 7.29 billion DOD, current US$ | 30.38 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.96 billion DOD, current US$ | 30.62 billion DOD, current US$ | 36.55 billion DOD, current US$ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 35 Tunisia 40.46 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 36 Mongolia 38.02 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 37 Ghana 37.41 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 39 Tanzania 36.34 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 40 Belarus 34.22 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 41 Paraguay 29.96 billion DOD, current US$ compare
More economy & growth data for Ethiopia
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 0.0318 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.4608 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 0.0232 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate -16.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0038 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per capita 3.57 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, SDR, annual growth rate -20.34 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt stocks, total in Ethiopia?
- External debt stocks, total in Ethiopia was 36.55 billion DOD, current US$ in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest external debt stocks, total recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 36.55 billion DOD, current US$ in 2024.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks, total recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 169.29 million DOD, current US$ in 1970.
- How does Ethiopia rank for external debt stocks, total?
- Ethiopia ranks 38th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is external debt stocks, total rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 115.7%. 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, total (DOD, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 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.