ECONOMY: TOP 20 COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST DEBT-TO-GDP RATIO IN AFRICA
Few of the notable names on the record are Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.
Measuring a country’s debt-to-GDP ratio helps multilateral lenders and policymakers understand the country’s debt repayment capacity.
Investopedia defines the debt-to-GDP ratio as an important metric that economists use to compare a country’s total national debt with its gross domestic product. It measures the amount of debt a country owes, compared to all that the country produces. Just so you7 know, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comprehensively measures the monetary value of all the products and services produced in a country during a certain period of time. Therefore, by comparing a country’s public debt ratio in relation to its GDP, multilateral decision makers and lenders can get reliable insight/understanding about the country’s capacity in terms of repaying its debts.
‘Relating what a country owes to what it produces, the debt-to-GDP ratio reliably reveals that particular country’s ability to repay its debts. Often expressed as a percentage, this ratio can also be interpreted as the number of years needed to repay the debt if GDP was entirely dedicated to debt repayment,’ says Investopedia. Is about the debt-to-GDP ratio of African countries are especially important at some point, given the fact that the stock of public debt across the continent has risen to levels not seen before in the history of modernity.
A recent report from the World Bank shows that more than half of the world’s low-income countries, mostly in Africa, are either currently in debt distress or are at risk of doing so. This is according to a recent blog post on the World Bank website. Also, Standard Bank Group recently flagged Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia and Angola as African countries that could do so will soon be facing serious debt risks. Nonetheless, bit more than 20 African countries have the highest debt-to-GDP ratios. This list is provided by a report by Statista dated December 2021. Although the exact public debt figures for these countries are not disclosed, the debt-to-GDP ratio is clearly stated as you can see below.
Eritrea: The national debt in this Horn of Africa country is 175.1% of GDP.
The Cape Verde: This island nation has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 160.7%.
Mozambique: The debt-to-GDP ratio in Mozambique is 133.6%.
The Angola: This southern African country has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 103.7%.
Mauritius: This island nation has a total debt of 101% of its GDP.
Zambia: Zambia’s total national debt is also 101% of its GDP.
Republic of the Congo: This central African country has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 85.4%.
The Ghana: Ghana’s debt to GDP ratio is currently 83.5%.
The Gambia: This country has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 82.3%.
The Seychelles: This island country has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 81.9%
Guinea-Bissau:The debt-to-GDP ratio for this country is currently 79.1%.
Rwanda: Rwanda’s debt-to-GDP ratio is 74.8%.
Burundi: The East African country has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 72.4%.
Gabon: Gabon has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 72.1%.
Senegal: The debt-to-GDP ratio of this Francophone country in West Africa is 71.9%.
Sierra Leone: The debt-to-GDP ratio of the English-speaking West African country is 71.1%.
There is also Namibia: This country has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 69.9%.
Kenya: Kenya has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 69.7%.
Also South Africa: This country has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 68.8%.
South Sudan: The debt-to-GDP ratio in South Sudan is 64.4%.
