Africa rankings

Debt in Africa

Which countries owe most against their economies, who Africa's governments owe abroad, and a debt page for every country.

Eritrea owes most against the size of its economyGeneral government gross debt, % of GDP, latest year before IMF projections.

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Item	Value
Eritrea	260.4
Sudan	204.4
Libya	153.8
Senegal	127.7
Cabo Verde	115.4
Zambia	100.6
Congo	100.4
Malawi	96.6
Mozambique	90.3
Egypt	86.8
Mauritius	86.8
Gabon	84.2
Tunisia	81.7
South Africa	78.4
Guinea-Bissau	75.1
Gambia	73.7
Kenya	71.3
Namibia	67.5
Morocco	66.6
Togo	64.9
Rwanda	64.7
South Sudan	64.2
Benin	59.3
São Tomé and Príncipe	59.1
Côte d'Ivoire	57.1
Liberia	55.1
Burkina Faso	53.2
Uganda	53.2
Angola	52.9
Algeria	52.1
Sierra Leone	51.4
Seychelles	51.2
Tanzania	49.8
Lesotho	49.4
Ghana	48.8
Madagascar	47.7
Niger	45.5
Eswatini	44.8
Ethiopia	43.3
Central African Republic	42.6
Burundi	42.0
Cameroon	40.5
Mauritania	40.4
Mali	40.3
Zimbabwe	38.0
Guinea	36.3
Nigeria	36.1
Equatorial Guinea	35.4
Botswana	34.0
Chad	33.3
Djibouti	31.3
Comoros	30.5
Democratic Republic of the Congo	20.4

Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook. Last checked 24 October 2026.

Who Africa's governments owe abroadPublic and publicly guaranteed external debt of African countries, by creditor, US$ billion. Each country's latest year, mostly 2024.

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Item	Detail	Value
Bondholders	bondholders · lends to 23 countries	192.8
World Bank-IDA	development banks and funds · lends to 42 countries	110.0
China	other governments · lends to 46 countries	82.2
African Development Bank	development banks and funds · lends to 50 countries	47.1
World Bank-IBRD	development banks and funds · lends to 16 countries	40.8
France	other governments · lends to 38 countries	25.4
Several lenders together	other lenders · lends to 20 countries	24.4
United Kingdom	other governments · lends to 21 countries	14.8
Germany	other governments · lends to 23 countries	13.6
Saudi Arabia	other governments · lends to 41 countries	12.1
European Investment Bank	development banks and funds · lends to 40 countries	11.6
Islamic Development Bank	development banks and funds · lends to 26 countries	10.5
African Export-Import Bank	other governments · lends to 17 countries	10.3
Japan	other governments · lends to 27 countries	10.1
Kuwait	other governments · lends to 42 countries	9.8
United States	other governments · lends to 19 countries	6.8
Arab Fund for Economic & Social Development	development banks and funds · lends to 10 countries	6.7
United Arab Emirates	other governments · lends to 31 countries	5.9
India	other governments · lends to 40 countries	4.6
Russian Federation	other governments · lends to 12 countries	4.5
Israel	other governments · lends to 10 countries	4.2
International Fund for Agricultural Development	development banks and funds · lends to 48 countries	3.9
Italy	other governments · lends to 21 countries	3.7
South Africa	other governments · lends to 12 countries	3.3
New Development Bank (NDB)	other governments · lends to 1 countries	3.3
West African Development Bank - BOAD	development banks and funds · lends to 8 countries	2.8
Switzerland	other governments · lends to 7 countries	2.8
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)	development banks and funds · lends to 3 countries	2.5
Korea, Republic of	other governments · lends to 17 countries	2.4
OPEC Fund for International Development	development banks and funds · lends to 44 countries	2.4
Spain	other governments · lends to 22 countries	2.3
Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA)	development banks and funds · lends to 40 countries	2.3
Eastern & Southern African Trade & Development Bank (TDB)	other governments · lends to 6 countries	2.2
European Union	development banks and funds · lends to 2 countries	2.2
Arab Monetary Fund	development banks and funds · lends to 4 countries	2.1
Portugal	other governments · lends to 5 countries	2.0
Netherlands	other governments · lends to 12 countries	1.6
Belgium	other governments · lends to 29 countries	1.6
Africa Finance Corporation	other governments · lends to 3 countries	1.2
Libya	other governments · lends to 17 countries	1.0
Austria	other governments · lends to 18 countries	0.8
Algeria	other governments · lends to 4 countries	0.8
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)	development banks and funds · lends to 14 countries	0.8
Hungary	other governments · lends to 5 countries	0.7
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank	other governments · lends to 3 countries	0.7
Ireland	other governments · lends to 4 countries	0.7
Canada	other governments · lends to 8 countries	0.7
Cote D`Ivoire, Republic Of	other governments · lends to 4 countries	0.7
Turkiye	other governments · lends to 8 countries	0.6
Hong Kong	other governments · lends to 3 countries	0.6
Brazil	other governments · lends to 9 countries	0.6
Bahrain	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.5
Czechia	other governments · lends to 5 countries	0.4
Angola	other governments · lends to 10 countries	0.4
Dev. Bank of the Central African States (BDEAC)	development banks and funds · lends to 5 countries	0.4
Iraq	other governments · lends to 10 countries	0.4
Denmark	other governments · lends to 7 countries	0.4
European Social Fund (ESF)	development banks and funds · lends to 1 countries	0.3
Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO)	development banks and funds · lends to 2 countries	0.3
World Bank-MIGA	development banks and funds · lends to 1 countries	0.3
Nordic Development Fund	development banks and funds · lends to 16 countries	0.3
Egypt	other governments · lends to 3 countries	0.3
International Finance Corporation	development banks and funds · lends to 1 countries	0.3
Poland	other governments · lends to 5 countries	0.3
Iran, Islamic Republic Of	other governments · lends to 3 countries	0.2
Serbia	other governments · lends to 7 countries	0.2
Sweden	other governments · lends to 4 countries	0.1
Romania	other governments · lends to 6 countries	0.1
Mauritius	other governments · lends to 3 countries	0.1
Luxembourg	other governments · lends to 2 countries	0.1
Qatar	other governments · lends to 4 countries	0.1
Oman	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.1
Congo, Rep.	other governments · lends to 3 countries	0.1
Bulgaria	other governments · lends to 4 countries	0.1
Finland	other governments · lends to 3 countries	0.1
Norway	other governments · lends to 4 countries	0.1
European Development Fund (EDF)	development banks and funds · lends to 10 countries	0.1
Togo	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Croatia	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
World Trade Organization	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Tanzania	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Nordic Investment Bank	development banks and funds · lends to 5 countries	0.0
Arab African International Bank	development banks and funds · lends to 4 countries	0.0
Equatorial Guinea	other governments · lends to 3 countries	0.0
Cameroon	other governments · lends to 2 countries	0.0
Venezuela, Republic Bolivarian	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Pakistan	other governments · lends to 2 countries	0.0
Nigeria	other governments · lends to 3 countries	0.0
Argentina	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
European Economic Community (EEC)	development banks and funds · lends to 4 countries	0.0
Org. of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)	development banks and funds · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Morocco	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
UN-General Assembly (UNGA)	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Greece	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Thailand	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Namibia	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Liberia	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Bahamas	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Uganda	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Benin	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Chad	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Senegal	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0
Mali	other governments · lends to 1 countries	0.0

Source: World Bank, International Debt Statistics. Last checked 24 October 2026.

Whose debt matters most: the largest creditor of each countryNumber of African countries for which this lender is the single largest foreign creditor of the government.

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Item	Value
World Bank-IDA	20
China	10
Bondholders	9
African Development Bank	4
World Bank-IBRD	1
Several lenders together	1
Islamic Development Bank	1
Kuwait	1
Arab Fund for Economic & Social Development	1
United Arab Emirates	1
Angola	1

Source: World Bank, International Debt Statistics. Last checked 24 October 2026.

Debt in every African countryClick a country for its debt page. Sort any column.

Showing 54 of 54

Rank
30	Algeria	North Africa	52.1	0.9	African Development Bank	84.2	7.5
29	Angola	Central Africa	52.9	46.1	China	31.2	31.2
23	Benin	West Africa	59.3	8.9	World Bank-IDA	26.0	4.1
49	Botswana	Southern Africa	34.0	1.9	African Development Bank	48.7	0.0
27	Burkina Faso	West Africa	53.2	5.1	World Bank-IDA	51.1	1.9
41	Burundi	East Africa	42.0	0.6	World Bank-IDA	18.2	6.2
5	Cabo Verde	West Africa	115.4	1.8	World Bank-IDA	31.5	1.1
42	Cameroon	Central Africa	40.5	12.5	China	26.4	26.4
40	Central African Republic	Central Africa	42.6	0.4	World Bank-IDA	26.6	4.4
50	Chad	Central Africa	33.3	2.4	United Arab Emirates	26.6	8.5
52	Comoros	East Africa	30.5	0.3	China	27.7	27.7
7	Congo	Central Africa	100.4	5.3	China	55.7	55.7
53	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Central Africa	20.4	7.9	China	44.4	44.4
25	Côte d'Ivoire	West Africa	57.1	31.2	Bondholders	34.0	13.2
51	Djibouti	East Africa	31.3	2.8	China	50.5	50.5
10	Egypt	North Africa	86.8	106.9	Bondholders	25.5	5.5
48	Equatorial Guinea	Central Africa	35.4	0.9	China	92.6	92.6
1	Eritrea	East Africa	260.4	0.6	World Bank-IDA	70.0	0.6
38	Eswatini	Southern Africa	44.8	0.9	African Development Bank	29.1	24.6
39	Ethiopia	East Africa	43.3	34.0	World Bank-IDA	37.6	21.9
12	Gabon	Central Africa	84.2	5.6	Bondholders	30.8	15.9
16	Gambia	West Africa	73.7	1.0	Islamic Development Bank	22.1	2.4
35	Ghana	West Africa	48.8	25.6	Bondholders	36.1	7.2
46	Guinea	West Africa	36.3	4.1	China	40.3	40.3
15	Guinea-Bissau	West Africa	75.1	1.3	Bondholders	37.8	0.0
17	Kenya	East Africa	71.3	35.6	World Bank-IDA	33.4	15.1
34	Lesotho	Southern Africa	49.4	1.0	World Bank-IDA	49.7	17.9
26	Liberia	West Africa	55.1	1.4	World Bank-IDA	66.0	3.5
3	Libya	North Africa	153.8	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
36	Madagascar	East Africa	47.7	4.8	World Bank-IDA	55.6	6.7
8	Malawi	East Africa	96.6	3.0	World Bank-IDA	56.6	6.8
44	Mali	West Africa	40.3	5.6	World Bank-IDA	39.0	8.9
43	Mauritania	West Africa	40.4	3.6	Arab Fund for Economic & Social Development	33.7	7.3
11	Mauritius	East Africa	86.8	3.4	African Development Bank	27.4	3.7
19	Morocco	North Africa	66.6	45.7	Bondholders	29.7	0.6
9	Mozambique	East Africa	90.3	9.2	World Bank-IDA	31.9	15.6
18	Namibia	Southern Africa	67.5	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
37	Niger	West Africa	45.5	4.5	World Bank-IDA	53.7	3.6
47	Nigeria	West Africa	36.1	50.2	Bondholders	36.0	10.6
21	Rwanda	East Africa	64.7	8.3	World Bank-IDA	44.6	4.3
24	São Tomé and Príncipe	Central Africa	59.1	0.3	Angola	26.7	0.0
4	Senegal	West Africa	127.7	25.1	Bondholders	19.7	8.8
32	Seychelles	East Africa	51.2	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
31	Sierra Leone	West Africa	51.4	1.3	World Bank-IDA	35.2	4.4
54	Somalia	East Africa	Not published	0.7	Kuwait	18.6	0.0
14	South Africa	Southern Africa	78.4	97.8	Bondholders	79.1	3.4
22	South Sudan	East Africa	64.2	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
2	Sudan	North Africa	204.4	15.0	Several lenders together	16.7	6.2
33	Tanzania	East Africa	49.8	24.3	World Bank-IDA	49.8	5.9
20	Togo	West Africa	64.9	2.4	World Bank-IDA	32.9	13.6
13	Tunisia	North Africa	81.7	20.8	World Bank-IBRD	20.8	0.1
28	Uganda	East Africa	53.2	14.1	World Bank-IDA	34.7	18.2
6	Zambia	East Africa	100.6	15.5	China	34.4	34.4
45	Zimbabwe	East Africa	38.0	5.3	China	37.8	37.8

Source: World Bank, International Debt Statistics. Last checked 24 October 2026.

Method and sources

Debt to GDP is the IMF's general government gross debt, domestic and foreign, as a share of GDP. Debt owed abroad by the government and debt it guarantees. Excludes IMF credit and private debt that is not guaranteed. WLD is the total. Africa totals add each country's latest year. Libya, Namibia, Seychelles and South Sudan do not report to the World Bank system, so they have no creditor figures.

More: compare every country on the data wall, African economies compared, who invests in Africa, regions of Africa.

Frequently asked questions

Which African country has the highest debt?

Against the size of its economy, Eritrea: government debt of 260.4% of GDP in 2019 (IMF). In dollars owed abroad, Egypt owes the most.

How much does Africa owe China?

$82.2 billion of public external debt across 46 African countries, 11.6% of the total, in the latest World Bank figures. China is the largest single creditor of 10 countries: Angola, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Who does Africa owe the most money to?

Bondholders ($192.8 billion), World Bank-IDA ($110 billion), China ($82.2 billion) and African Development Bank ($47.1 billion), in the World Bank's International Debt Statistics.

Which African countries have the lowest debt?

Democratic Republic of the Congo (20.4% of GDP), Comoros (30.5% of GDP), Djibouti (31.3% of GDP) and Chad (33.3% of GDP), according to the IMF.

Debt in Africa

Debt pages by region

Method and sources

Frequently asked questions