Top 10 External Debt: Developing Countries (End of 2024)
From our Short: Which Country Owes 3.4x the #2 in External Debt? Top 10 Developing Countries 2024
One country's external debt is 3.4x the next one's: China owes $2.42T vs India's $716.46B, and China alone is 40% of the top-10 total.
Which Country Owes 3.4x the #2 in External Debt? Top 10 Developing Countries 2024
Full ranking
| # | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $2.42T |
| 2 | India | $716.46B |
| 3 | Brazil | $605.46B |
| 4 | Mexico | $591.26B |
| 5 | Turkey | $514.99B |
| 6 | Indonesia | $421.06B |
| 7 | Argentina | $242.36B |
| 8 | Colombia | $201.76B |
| 9 | Ukraine | $193.49B |
| 10 | Thailand | $191.83B |
Key numbers
- #1 is China at $2.42T, followed by India ($716.46B) and Brazil ($605.46B).
- China is 3.4x #2 India.
- #10 Thailand is at $191.83B; #1 is 12.6x that.
- China alone accounts for 40% of the top-10 total.
Data: World Bank, International Debt Statistics (External debt stocks, total, current US$, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Covers 118 reporting low- and middle-income countries; high-income countries do not report. External debt means debt owed to non-residents. Figures may be revised. Flag graphics: Twemoji (CC BY 4.0). The intro background was generated with AI.
Questions
Who is #1 in this ranking?
China, at $2.42T (2024 data). #2 is India at $716.46B.
How far ahead of #2 is China?
China is 3.4x #2 India.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank International Debt Statistics (CC BY 4.0). The data was downloaded twice and both reads had to match; the numbers here are computed from it by script.
How we made this
Source: World Bank International Debt Statistics (CC BY 4.0) · 2024 dataThe data was downloaded twice and both reads had to match. Figures are computed from it by script and rounded for display. Watch the Short on YouTube.