Central government debt, total (current LCU) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Central government debt, total (current LCU) was 846.21 billion current LCU in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Central government debt, total in Ethiopia, 1990–2019
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 846.21 billion current LCU for central government debt, total in 2019. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of up 18.2% on the previous year and up 809.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in Ethiopia peaked at 846.21 billion current LCU in 2019 and was at its lowest, 12.19 billion current LCU, in 1990.
That places Ethiopia 39th out of 83 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Central government debt, total (current LCU) in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 12.19 billion current LCU | — |
| 1991 | 14.18 billion current LCU | +16.4% |
| 1992 | 13.05 billion current LCU | -8.0% |
| 1993 | 27.65 billion current LCU | +111.8% |
| 1994 | 37.06 billion current LCU | +34.1% |
| 1995 | 39.60 billion current LCU | +6.8% |
| 1996 | 38.97 billion current LCU | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 38.75 billion current LCU | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 41.95 billion current LCU | +8.3% |
| 1999 | 49.48 billion current LCU | +18.0% |
| 2013 | 93.05 billion current LCU | +88.0% |
| 2014 | 285.75 billion current LCU | +207.1% |
| 2015 | 362.69 billion current LCU | +26.9% |
| 2016 | 454.84 billion current LCU | +25.4% |
| 2017 | 551.58 billion current LCU | +21.3% |
| 2018 | 715.77 billion current LCU | +29.8% |
| 2019 | 846.21 billion current LCU | +18.2% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 846.21 billion current LCU is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.30 trillion current LCU, 9% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 846.21 billion current LCU is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 944.88 billion current LCU, 90% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Central government debt, total (current LCU) in Ethiopia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +207.1% | 93.05 billion current LCU | 285.75 billion current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 31.29 billion current LCU | 12.19 billion current LCU | 49.48 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | 472.84 billion current LCU | 93.05 billion current LCU | 846.21 billion current LCU | 7 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More public sector data for Ethiopia
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 63.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.3635 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -95.56 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in Ethiopia?
- Central government debt, total in Ethiopia was 846.21 billion current LCU in 2019, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 846.21 billion current LCU in 2019.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.19 billion current LCU in 1990.
- How does Ethiopia rank for central government debt, total?
- Ethiopia ranks 39th out of 83 countries with data for 2019.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 809.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.