Global Development Finance 2012

Global Development Finance 2012:
External Debt of Developing Countries is
a continuation of the World Bank’s publications
Global Development Finance, Volume II (1997
through 2009) and the earlier World Debt Tables
(1973 through 1996). As in previous years,
GDF 2012 provides statistical tables showing
the external debt of 129 developing countries
that report public and publicly guaranteed
external debt to the World Bank’s Debtor
Reporting System (DRS). It also includes
tables of key debt ratios for individual reporting
countries and the composition of external
debt stocks and flows for individual reporting
countries and regional and income groups
along with some graphical presentations.

GDF 2012 draws on a database maintained
by the World Bank External Debt (WBXD)
system. Longer time series and more detailed
data are available from the Global Development
Finance 2012 on CD-ROM and the World
Bank open databases, which contain more than
200 time series indicators, covering the years
1970 to 2010 for most reporting countries,
and pipeline data for scheduled debt service
payments on existing commitments to 2018.

The database covers external debt stocks
and flows, major economic aggregates, and
key debt ratios, as well as average terms of
new commitments, currency composition
of longterm debt, and debt restructurings in
greater detail than can be included in the GDF
book. The CD-ROM also contains the full
contents of the print version of GDF 2012.
Text providing country notes, definitions, and
source information is linked to each table.
World Bank open databases are available
through the World Bank’s website, http://
www.worldbank.org. The Little Data Book on
External Debt 2012 provides a quick reference
to the data from GDF 2012. For more
information on the GDF database, CD-ROM,
and print publications go to http://publications.
worldbank.org/ecommerce/.

Global Development Finance 2012: External
Debt of Developing Countries is unique in its
coverage of the important trends and issues
fundamental to the financing of the developing
world. This report is an indispensible resource
for governments, economists, investors, financial
consultants, academics, bankers, and the entire
development community.

Further details about the GDF 2012 can be found at
http://data.worldbank.org/.