Malawi vs South Africa: Central government debt, total

Malawi
9.59 trillion current LCU
in 2023
South Africa
6.09 trillion current LCU
in 2024
Malawi rank
16th
South Africa rank
19th

Central government debt, total over time

  • Malawi
  • South Africa
02.0T4.0T6.0T8.0T10.0T199020072024

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 9.59 trillion current LCU against 6.09 trillion current LCU in South Africa, a difference of 3.51 trillion current LCU.

That makes Malawi's figure about 1.6 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 2015 it was South Africa ahead.

Malawi ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 19th of 83 countries.

Across the 2 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malawi South Africa Difference Ahead
2010s 2.47 trillion current LCU 2.91 trillion current LCU 437.51 billion current LCU South Africa
2020s 8.07 trillion current LCU 5.34 trillion current LCU 2.74 trillion current LCU Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher central government debt, total, Malawi or South Africa?
Malawi, at 9.59 trillion current LCU against 6.09 trillion current LCU in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in central government debt, total between Malawi and South Africa?
3.51 trillion current LCU, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?
7 years are reported by both, from 2015 to 2023.
How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for central government debt, total?
Malawi ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 19th of 83 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Central government debt, total (current LCU). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Malawi vs South Africa: Central government debt, total. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/central-government-debt-total-current-lcu/malawi/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Central government debt, total (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
83 places, 1,590 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.