Short-term debt in Malawi
Malawi: Short-term debt was 4.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Short-term debt in Malawi, 1978–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.
Analysis
In 2024, short-term debt in Malawi stood at 4.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 434.1% on the previous year and up 272.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Malawi peaked at 44.5% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2023.
Malawi ranks 85th of 119 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.
Short-term debt in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of exports of goods, services and primary income | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 35.5% | — |
| 1979 | 44.5% | +25.3% |
| 1980 | 36.9% | -17.0% |
| 1981 | 15.7% | -57.3% |
| 1982 | 31.8% | +101.8% |
| 1983 | 26.4% | -16.8% |
| 1984 | 12.3% | -53.5% |
| 1985 | 29.2% | +137.4% |
| 1986 | 29.5% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 30.6% | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 14.6% | -52.3% |
| 1989 | 15.4% | +5.8% |
| 1990 | 12.9% | -16.4% |
| 1991 | 5.7% | -55.7% |
| 1992 | 11.3% | +97.4% |
| 1993 | 3.1% | -72.9% |
| 1994 | 3.5% | +13.8% |
| 1995 | 9.2% | +164.6% |
| 1996 | 18.0% | +95.8% |
| 1997 | 4.0% | -77.9% |
| 1998 | 5.5% | +38.0% |
| 1999 | 12.9% | +135.0% |
| 2000 | 15.9% | +23.3% |
| 2001 | 7.5% | -53.1% |
| 2002 | 25.3% | +239.5% |
| 2003 | 9.3% | -63.4% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | -28.0% |
| 2005 | 7.1% | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 8.8% | +24.6% |
| 2007 | 6.9% | -21.4% |
| 2008 | 8.2% | +17.9% |
| 2009 | 5.0% | -39.3% |
| 2010 | 3.5% | -29.4% |
| 2011 | 2.4% | -32.6% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -34.4% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -13.0% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -23.9% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | +273.6% |
| 2017 | 4.8% | +29.1% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | -54.8% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | +114.0% |
| 2020 | 13.4% | +188.6% |
| 2021 | 9.0% | -32.7% |
| 2022 | 6.3% | -30.3% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -85.5% |
| 2024 | 4.9% | +434.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 4.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 4.9%, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 4.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.1%, 54% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Short-term debt in Malawi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +434.1% | 0.9% | 4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 40.0% | 35.5% | 44.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 24.2% | 12.3% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.6% | 3.1% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 5.0% | 25.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.7% | 1.0% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 0.9% | 13.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 82 Sao Tome and Principe 6.0% compare
- 83 Montenegro 5.7% compare
- 84 Mauritania 5.0% compare
- 86 Uganda 4.6% compare
- 87 Saint Lucia 4.5% compare
- 88 Solomon Islands 4.1% compare
More economy & growth data for Malawi
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.07 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.6 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 56.42 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.005 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 2.61 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 257.97 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 20.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0228 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 11.91 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -29.8 % change on previous year (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Malawi?
- Short-term debt in Malawi was 4.9% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 44.5% in 1979.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for short-term debt?
- Malawi ranks 85th out of 119 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 272.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.