Djibouti’s external debt rose to $3.5bn in 2024.

Lower is better. A lower figure is better because less owed abroad means smaller repayments in foreign currency and less exposure to lenders' terms when loans fall due. Djibouti's external debt was $3.5bn in 2024, up 0.82% from $3.4bn a year earlier. Since 2015 the lowest reading was $1.2bn, in 2015. The 2024 figure equals the highest in that span, so the debt sits at the top of its own range.

Why it matters. Djibouti owes this money in foreign currency, so repayments draw on the dollars earned by the government and by firms. A stock that has grown from $1.2bn in 2015 to $3.5bn in 2024 means a larger share of those earnings goes to lenders abroad. The state has less room to borrow further on easy terms, and the next annual reading will show whether the climb continues.