Economy · External debt · Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso’s external debt rose to $10.8bn in 2024.
$10.8bn
2024
Up $0.37bn from 2023.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
$10.8bn
What it is. This measure adds up what a country's government, public bodies and private borrowers owe to creditors outside the country, valued in current US dollars and drawn from the World Bank's International Debt Statistics. It includes long-term loans, short-term borrowing and credit from the IMF. Because the stock is valued in dollars, a change in exchange rates alters the reported figure even when no new loan is signed. Debt that Burkina Faso owes to its own residents is left out.
Lower is better. A smaller external debt means less money owed to foreign lenders and lower interest payments that must be met in foreign currency, so lower is better. The latest figure is $10.8bn for 2024, up from $10.5bn a year earlier, a rise of 3.5%. Since 2015 the stock has ranged from a low of $9.2bn in 2019 to a high of $12.8bn in 2017. The 2024 level sits inside that range, somewhat nearer the 2019 low than the 2017 high.
Why it matters. Every dollar of external debt service has to be paid in foreign currency, which Burkina Faso earns through exports and receives as aid or new loans. A stock of $10.8bn keeps a share of those inflows committed to creditors abroad. That leaves the state less room for spending at home on services and security, and a further rise would add to the claim.
| Period | External debt · Burkina Faso |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $12.6bn |
| 2016 | $10.3bn |
| 2017 | $12.8bn |
| 2018 | $10.6bn |
| 2019 | $9.2bn |
| 2020 | $9.8bn |
| 2021 | $10.3bn |
| 2022 | $9.9bn |
| 2023 | $10.5bn |
| 2024 | $10.8bn |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, External debt, Burkina Faso, 2024; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/external-debt/burkina-faso
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
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Methodology
Total external debt stocks, current US dollars (International Debt Statistics). Unit: USD bn.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series DT.DOD.DECT.CD), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.