Definition
Gross external debt is the amount outstanding at a given time of non-contingent financial liabilities incurred by residents of an economy to non-residents, with a future commitment to pay principal, interest, or both.
Net external debt is the result of deducting from gross external debt the holdings of external financial assets in the form of debt instruments.
Further information
Equity financial instruments, financial derivatives, and monetary gold in bullion, all included in the international investment position, are not considered in the calculations of external debt.
Related concepts
References
- Sixth Edition of the IMF’s Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual.
- External Debt Statistics and the IMF.
Legal frame
- Regulation (EC) No 184/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 January 2005 on Community statistics concerning balance of payments, international trade in services and foreign direct investment
- Real Decreto 1225/2024, de 3 de diciembre, por el que se aprueba el Plan Estadístico Nacional 2025-2028.
- 2012/120/EU: Guideline of the European Central Bank, of December 9, 2011, on the statistical reporting requirements of the European Central Bank in the field of external statistics (recast version) (ECB/2011/23).
Links to data tables
Selection of tables
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External debt. Quarterly.
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Gross external debt by institutional sector, financial instrument, and maturity.
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Gross external debt by institutional sector, financial instrument, and maturity.
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External debt. Quarterly.
Other resources
- BExplore the external statistics (interactive charts).
- In brief. Graphical summary of external statistics.
Update date: May 2025
