RTR: Global debt hits new record high at $313 trillion – IIF

REUTERS reports: 

Global debt levels hit a new record high of $313 trillion in 2023, with developing economies scaling a fresh peak for the ratio of debt to their gross domestic product, a study showed.

The Institute of International Finance (IIF), a financial services trade group, said on Wednesday that global debt surged by over $15 trillion in the last quarter of 2023 year-on-year. The figure stood at around $210 trillion almost a decade ago, according to the data.

“Around 55% of this rise originated from mature markets, mainly driven by the U.S., France, and Germany,” said the IIF in its Global Debt Monitor, adding the global debt-to-GDP ratio declined by around 2 percentage points to nearly 330% in 2023.

While the reduction in this ratio was “particularly notable” in developed countries, some emerging markets saw fresh high in the reading that indicates a country’s ability to pay back debts. India, Argentina, China, Russia, Malaysia and South Africa registered the largest increases, signalling potential growing challenges in debt repayments…

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