| Current Rank | Country | Value | Latest Reading | Previous Rank | Previous Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ↑ | Algeria | 34.44 | 2020 | 2 | 41.23 |
| 2 ↓ | Somalia | 33.85 | 2020 | 1 | 59.16 |
| 3 | Mauritius | 33.71 | 2020 | 3 | 31.72 |
| 4 ↑ | Zimbabwe | 30.23 | 2020 | 5 | 28.76 |
| 5 ↓ | Tunisia | 25.91 | 2020 | 4 | 29.03 |
| 6 | Sudan | 25.36 | 2020 | 6 | 24.37 |
| 7 | Mauritania | 18.83 | 2020 | 7 | 20.17 |
| 8 ↑ | Ghana | 16.4 | 2020 | 9 | 17.26 |
| 9 ↓ | South Africa | 16.27 | 2020 | 8 | 18.63 |
| 10 ↑ | Central African Republic | 14.19 | 2020 | 12 | 14.9 |
| 11 ↑ | Botswana | 13.63 | 2020 | 17 | 8.89 |
| 12 ↓ | Togo | 12.58 | 2020 | 10 | 16.13 |
| 13 ↓ | Morocco | 12.4 | 2020 | 11 | 15.79 |
| 14 | Tanzania | 12.35 | 2020 | 14 | 11.55 |
| 15 ↓ | Djibouti | 9.44 | 2020 | 13 | 14.71 |
| 16 | Egypt | 9.09 | 2020 | 16 | 9.81 |
| 17 ↑ | Mozambique | 8.74 | 2020 | 18 | 8.19 |
| 18 ↓ | Sierra Leone | 8.66 | 2020 | 15 | 10.06 |
| 19 ↑ | Uganda | 6.92 | 2020 | 22 | 6.81 |
| 20 ↑ | Malawi | 6.06 | 2020 | 35 | 2.81 |
| 21 ↓ | Kenya | 6.01 | 2020 | 20 | 7.47 |
| 22 ↓ | Guinea-Bissau | 5.99 | 2020 | 19 | 7.72 |
| 23 ↓ | Madagascar | 5.61 | 2020 | 21 | 6.92 |
| 24 ↑ | Benin | 5.38 | 2020 | 41 | 0.31 |
| 25 ↑ | Republic of the Congo | 5.36 | 2020 | 28 | 4.31 |
| 26 ↑ | Eritrea | 4.73 | 2020 | 29 | 4.23 |
| 27 ↓ | Rwanda | 4.62 | 2020 | 24 | 5.27 |
| 28 ↑ | Sao Tome and Principe | 4.58 | 2020 | 32 | 3.02 |
| 29 ↓ | Ivory Coast | 4.22 | 2020 | 26 | 4.49 |
| 30 ↓ | Guinea | 3.45 | 2020 | 23 | 6.27 |
| 31 ↓ | Swaziland | 3.44 | 2020 | 27 | 4.36 |
| 32 ↓ | Gambia | 3.31 | 2020 | 31 | 3.37 |
| 33 ↑ | Cameroon | 2.66 | 2020 | 34 | 2.94 |
| 34 ↓ | Zambia | 2.25 | 2020 | 33 | 3.01 |
| 35 ↓ | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2.14 | 2020 | 30 | 3.72 |
| 36 ↑ | Mali | 1.37 | 2020 | 37 | 2.13 |
| 37 ↑ | Ethiopia | 1.35 | 2020 | 38 | 1.69 |
| 38 ↓ | Niger | 1.34 | 2020 | 36 | 2.59 |
| 39 ↓ | Gabon | 0.99 | 2020 | 25 | 5 |
| 40 ↓ | Chad | 0.84 | 2020 | 39 | 0.8 |
| 41 ↓ | Comoros | 0.39 | 2020 | 40 | 0.71 |
| 42 | Lesotho | 0.19 | 2020 | 42 | 0.04 |
| 43 ↓ | Burundi | 0.04 | 2020 | 42 | 0.04 |
| 44 | Nigeria | 0 | 2020 | 44 | 0 |
| 44 | Liberia | 0 | 2020 | 44 | 0 |
| 44 | Cape Verde | 0 | 2020 | 44 | 0 |
| 44 | Senegal | 0 | 2020 | 44 | 0 |
| 44 | Burkina Faso | 0 | 2020 | 44 | 0 |
Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt.
