Developing countries' interest bill has nearly tripled since 2010
Net interest paid on public debt by developing countries, US$ billion, 2010–2025.
Net interest developing countries paid on public debt in 2025, up from $363bn in 2010.
Live in 51 developing countries that spend more on interest than on health or education.
People living under that squeeze than in 2010.
the numbers
| Year | Developing countries, net interest on public debt (bn) |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 363 |
| 2023 | 847 |
| 2024 | 921 |
| 2025 | 995 |
source notes & method
2023 ($847bn) from the 2024 edition and 2024 ($921bn) from the 2025 edition, both on unctad.org; the 2025 edition PDF labels the $921bn as 2023 in one place, its web page says 2024. 2010 ($363bn), 2025 ($995bn), 3.7bn people, 51 countries and '+1.2bn since 2010' are from the 2026 edition (released 7 Oct 2026), taken from press coverage quoting the UNCTAD overview (Ritz Herald, Criterion Post/Anadolu) because the UNCTAD page could not be fetched. Years between 2010 and 2023 are not published as text, so the line joins the published points only. Later editions may revise earlier years.
Published 29 Oct 2026
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