MENAP’s debt-to-GNI jump biggest among regions: World Bank

External borrowing across the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAP) reached $598bn in 2025, up 5.8% from a year earlier and 80% above the 2015 level, Mettis Global reported, citing the World Bank’s International Debt Report 2026. Pakistan accounted for $135.1bn of the regional total.

The region’s debt relative to gross national income climbed to 29.4% from 26.7%, the biggest annual increase among regions, while debt service as a share of GNI eased to 3.1%. Public and publicly guaranteed obligations were $425bn; private non-guaranteed and short-term debt stood at $51bn and $122bn, respectively. Official lenders’ new financing averaged 20-year maturities at 3.3% interest, compared with five years and 6.9% for private creditors.