Short-term debt in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Short-term debt was 2.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2.6%
Change on year
up 42.5%
World rank
94th
of 119 countries
All-time high
73.3%
in 1993
All-time low
0.6%
in 2012
Years of data
48
1977–2024

Short-term debt in Ethiopia, 1977–2024

020406080197720002024

Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.

Analysis

Ethiopia recorded 2.6% for short-term debt in 2024.

That represents a change of up 42.5% on the previous year and down 42.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, short-term debt in Ethiopia peaked at 73.3% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2012.

That places Ethiopia 94th out of 119 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Short-term debt in Ethiopia, year by year

Annual values for Short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) in Ethiopia, 1977 to 2024.
Year % of exports of goods, services and primary income Change
1977 12.2%
1978 12.9% +5.8%
1979 12.0% -7.0%
1980 9.9% -18.1%
1981 11.0% +11.9%
1982 11.7% +6.2%
1983 11.0% -6.4%
1984 10.8% -1.5%
1985 12.0% +10.8%
1986 11.0% -7.8%
1987 14.5% +31.2%
1988 19.4% +34.0%
1989 15.0% -22.7%
1990 24.0% +60.1%
1991 61.2% +155.1%
1992 69.3% +13.2%
1993 73.3% +5.8%
1994 59.7% -18.5%
1995 55.1% -7.8%
1996 60.0% +8.9%
1997 56.4% -6.1%
1998 64.3% +14.1%
1999 9.1% -85.8%
2000 8.5% -6.8%
2001 5.4% -36.4%
2002 5.3% -2.4%
2003 5.0% -4.9%
2004 4.2% -15.5%
2005 6.5% +52.8%
2006 2.8% -56.9%
2007 2.4% -13.1%
2008 1.6% -32.4%
2009 6.7% +306.0%
2010 6.5% -2.6%
2011 3.1% -52.3%
2012 0.6% -80.6%
2013 3.3% +453.7%
2014 4.6% +37.1%
2015 9.1% +100.0%
2016 15.7% +71.7%
2017 9.5% -39.3%
2018 9.7% +2.5%
2019 6.3% -35.3%
2020 5.3% -16.2%
2021 5.6% +5.9%
2022 3.0% -47.1%
2023 1.8% -37.5%
2024 2.6% +42.5%

Ethiopia compared with similar countries

  • Ethiopia's 2.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.9%, 54% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
  • Ethiopia's 2.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.1%, 29% of the median. (43 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Short-term debt 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.

YearChange FromTo
2013 +453.7% 0.6% 3.3%
2009 +306.0% 1.6% 6.7%
1991 +155.1% 24.0% 61.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 12.4% 12.0% 12.9% 3
1980s 12.6% 9.9% 19.4% 10
1990s 53.3% 9.1% 73.3% 10
2000s 4.8% 1.6% 8.5% 10
2010s 6.8% 0.6% 15.7% 10
2020s 3.7% 1.8% 5.6% 5

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 91 Guinea 3.2% compare
  2. 92 Algeria 3.1% compare
  3. 93 Maldives 2.9% compare
  4. 95 Eswatini 2.6% compare
  5. 96 Botswana 2.5% compare
  6. 97 Madagascar 2.4% compare

See the full ranking of 151 places →

More economy & growth data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is short-term debt in Ethiopia?
Short-term debt in Ethiopia was 2.6% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 73.3% in 1993.
What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2012.
How does Ethiopia rank for short-term debt?
Ethiopia ranks 94th out of 119 countries with data for 2024.
Is short-term debt rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 42.3%. 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 Short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Short-term debt in Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/short-term-debt-percent-of-exports-of-goods-services-and-primary-income/ethiopia/

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About this data

Indicator
Short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)
Unit
% of exports of goods, services and primary income
Source
International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
151 places, 5,838 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Short-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original maturity of one year or less. Available data permit no distinction between public and private nonguaranteed short-term debt. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.