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Sudan's government debt topped 280% of GDP in 2024, dwarfing other African economies
General government gross debt as a share of GDP for nine African economies in 2024, from Sudan at the extreme to DR Congo at the low end.
Updated October 2026 · Data year 2024
Figure 1
General government gross debt as a share of GDP for nine African economies in 2024, from Sudan at the extreme to DR Congo at the low end.
282.3%
Sudan · % of GDP
Source: IMF · 2024 · Figures are 2024, from the IMF World Economic Outlook database. Sudan's level reflects conflict, arrears and a collapsed GDP, so it sits far above the rest. Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia were left out because their values could not be read from the source page opened.
Government debt burdens vary widely across Africa. In 2024 Sudan carried general government gross debt worth 282.3 percent of GDP, an outlier driven by war, arrears and a shrunken economy [S1]. A middle group sits near or above 90 percent, including Mozambique at 91.2 and Egypt at 90.9 [S1]. Others are far lower, with Ethiopia at 33.5 and DR Congo at 17.3 [S1]. The headline debt ratio only tells part of the story. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the median share of revenue eaten by interest payments climbed to over 12 percent in 2024, squeezing budgets even where debt looks moderate [S2].
Takeaways
- Sudan's debt above 280% of GDP is the continent's extreme case, not the norm.
- Egypt and Mozambique both carry debt near 90% of GDP.
- SSA governments spent a median of over 12% of revenue on interest in 2024.
Sources
- TIER A IMF, World Economic Outlook database (DataMapper): General government gross debt, percent of GDP (2024). https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/GGXWDG_NGDP@WEO
Supplies the 2024 debt-to-GDP value for each of the nine economies shown. - TIER A IMF, Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa (October 2025). https://meetings.imf.org/-/media/Files/Publications/IMF-Notes/2025/English/INSEA2025001.ashx
Median interest-to-revenue ratio climbed to over 12 percent in 2024.