Compared to the years during the COVID-19 crisis, in some countries of the Global South the debt situation has slightly eased. For most countries there, however, the debt situation remains tense. In 130 of the 152 countries surveyed in the Global South, the debt situation is at least slightly critical; in 24 of these countries, the situation is very critical. Overall, 55% of the countries surveyed are critically or very critically indebted – in contrast to only 37% before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, countries in the Global South have to make more debt service payments to their external creditors than ever before. For 45 countries, more than 15% of government revenue flows into debt servicing.
Download:
- Global Sovereign Debt Monitor 2024 (PDF)
- Map Global Debt Situation (JPG)
- At a glance and Recommendations to the German Federal Government (PDF)
- Supplementary material to Article “Creditors worldwide”: Table 2 “Creditors and politically responsible groups of states for outstanding claims against countries of the Global South” (Excel)
Contents:
Human rights instead of debt service! Germany must fulfil its responsibility now: here’s how
Foreword by Pirmin Spiegel and Prof Dr Andrés Musacchio
The global debt situation
by Malina Stutz
Creditors worldwide: An analysis of the creditor landscape, current restructuring negotiations and political responsibility for debt cancellation
by Malina Stutz
Just debt relief for more climate justice: How to address the debt and climate crises together
by Kristina Rehbein
Austerity, dispossession and injustice: Facets of the debt crisis in Sri Lanka
by Dr Ahilan Kadirgamar
Published: 15 April 2024
Editors: erlassjahr.de and Misereor
Originally published 9 April 2024 as “Schuldenreport 2024” (in German)