Short-term debt in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Short-term debt was 10.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Short-term debt in Sierra Leone, 1977–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 10.9% for short-term debt in 2024.
That represents a change of down 5.2% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Sierra Leone peaked at 99.0% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1978.
That places Sierra Leone 67th out of 119 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of exports of goods, services and primary income | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 2.8% | — |
| 1978 | 0.5% | -83.7% |
| 1979 | 2.4% | +434.4% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 4.2% | +65.4% |
| 1982 | 8.4% | +101.8% |
| 1983 | 12.2% | +44.0% |
| 1984 | 9.6% | -21.1% |
| 1985 | 17.6% | +83.1% |
| 1986 | 12.1% | -31.1% |
| 1987 | 18.0% | +48.8% |
| 1988 | 35.8% | +98.8% |
| 1989 | 53.6% | +49.5% |
| 1990 | 70.5% | +31.7% |
| 1991 | 91.0% | +29.0% |
| 1992 | 66.1% | -27.4% |
| 1993 | 85.2% | +28.9% |
| 1994 | 7.4% | -91.3% |
| 1995 | 20.8% | +180.7% |
| 1996 | 22.0% | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 19.3% | -12.3% |
| 1998 | 52.2% | +170.8% |
| 1999 | 99.0% | +89.7% |
| 2000 | 74.1% | -25.1% |
| 2001 | 22.5% | -69.6% |
| 2002 | 8.9% | -60.5% |
| 2003 | 9.4% | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 10.2% | +8.0% |
| 2005 | 7.9% | -21.9% |
| 2006 | 3.8% | -52.1% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -64.4% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +91.0% |
| 2009 | 6.1% | +134.3% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -84.1% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | +562.1% |
| 2012 | 17.8% | +178.3% |
| 2013 | 12.1% | -32.1% |
| 2014 | 14.1% | +17.0% |
| 2015 | 27.2% | +92.0% |
| 2016 | 25.2% | -7.0% |
| 2017 | 22.7% | -9.9% |
| 2018 | 25.9% | +13.7% |
| 2019 | 25.2% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 32.1% | +27.5% |
| 2021 | 19.9% | -38.0% |
| 2022 | 13.4% | -32.5% |
| 2023 | 11.5% | -14.4% |
| 2024 | 10.9% | -5.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 10.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 4.9%, 2.2× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 10.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.1%, 1.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Short-term debt in Sierra Leone 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +562.1% | 1.0% | 6.4% |
| 1979 | +434.4% | 0.5% | 2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.9% | 0.5% | 2.8% | 3 |
| 1980s | 17.4% | 2.5% | 53.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 53.3% | 7.4% | 99.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.7% | 1.4% | 74.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.8% | 1.0% | 27.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.5% | 10.9% | 32.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More economy & growth data for Sierra Leone
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.55 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.53 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -33,272 BoP, current US$ (2010)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2010)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -0.0053 BoP, current US$ per person (2010)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 121.78 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -16.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0175 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 14.09 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -12.59 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Sierra Leone?
- Short-term debt in Sierra Leone was 10.9% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 99.0% in 1999.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1978.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for short-term debt?
- Sierra Leone ranks 67th out of 119 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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 — 48 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.