Sovereign Debt

Source details

Canonical URL

Sovereign Debt

Other formats

• Markdown version
• Structured JSON version
• Bundle manifest

Key findings and current situation

• Global public debt levels were elevated already before the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The crisis is adding to spending needs as countries seek to mitigate the health and economic effects of the pandemic, while fiscal revenues are falling due to lower economic activity.
• This has pushed debt levels to new heights close to 100 percent of GDP globally.
• The ability to carry debt varies widely among countries.
• Debt vulnerabilities have increased especially in low-income countries and some emerging market economies.
• Public debt, or sovereign debt, is an important way for governments to finance investments in growth and development, but it is critical that governments are able to continue servicing their debt and that their debt burden remains sustainable.
• Entering into debt distress is often a painful process, which may threaten macro-economic stability and set back a country’s development for years.

IMF analytical and policy roles

• The IMF’s analytical work helps identify sovereign debt risks and provides policy advice on how to address these risks at an early stage.
• The IMF jointly with the World Bank fosters debt transparency and supports countries in strengthening their capacity to report and manage their public debt.
• Technical support includes assistance on formulating a debt management strategy and developing local currency bond markets to promote a prudent debt structure and add resilience to withstand economic shocks.
• Countries with high debt vulnerabilities need to tackle them through a combination of adjustment and measures to restore growth.
• An IMF-supported program can facilitate adjustment, but the IMF can only lend to a member if its debt is sustainable.
• There are cases where debt is unsustainable, even taking adjustment efforts into account.

Debt distress, restructuring, and the IMF’s supporting role

• If a member country enters into debt distress, only the country’s government can decide whether to solve this by negotiating a debt restructuring with its creditors.
• An IMF-supported program can support a member in the context of a debt restructuring by providing sound economic policies and new financing, enabling the return to macroeconomic viability.
• The IMF is lending its support to improving the international architecture for sovereign debt restructurings, which is critical to enable faster and more effective debt reduction.

Policy implications and recommendations

• Strengthen early identification of sovereign debt risks through enhanced analytical work and surveillance.
• Improve debt transparency and public debt reporting capacities, in coordination with the World Bank.
• Develop debt management strategies and deepen local currency bond markets to build resilience.
• Combine fiscal adjustment with measures to restore growth in countries with high debt vulnerabilities.
• Use IMF-supported programs where appropriate to facilitate adjustment while ensuring debt sustainability constraints for IMF lending are respected.
• Enhance international frameworks for sovereign debt restructuring to allow faster, more effective debt reduction when restructuring is necessary.

Content in this bundle

• Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable: Cochairs Progress Report
  • Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable: Cochairs Progress Report (Markdown version)
  • Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable: Cochairs Progress Report (PDF)

References

• Sri Lanka’s Sovereign Debt Restructuring: Lessons from Complex Processes
• The Role of IMF Arrangements in Restoring Access to International Capital Markets
• Staff Guidance Note on Information Sharing in The Context of Sovereign Debt Restructurings
• Review of the Debt Sustainability Framework For Market Access Countries
• Staff Guidance Note on the World Bank-IMF Debt Sustainability Framework for Low-Income Countries
• Staff Guidance Note on the Sovereign Risk and Debt Sustainability Framework for Market Access Countries
• Modification to the Transparency Policy
• Policy Papers on Debt-Sustainability in Low-Income Countries
• 2026 Review of the Debt Sustainability Framework for Low-Income Countries
• The Common Framework: Utilizing its Flexibility to Support Developing Countries’ Recovery
• World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Support for Debt Relief under the Common Framework And Beyond
• What Governments Should Do When Food Prices Surge
• Asia’s Next Growth Story
• Rethinking Central Bank Communication in an Uncertain World