Top 10 African countries with the highest IMF debt in April 2025

Amid a tumultuous global economic climate typified by high inflation, increasing interest rates, and tighter financial conditions, the weight of debt has come back into sharp focus.

As the globe grapples with a complex economic reality, marred by violent conflicts, tariff wars, and harsh economic sanctions, African nations with systematically large IMF debt face a constrained path.

Equally essential, African governments must strive for more economic diversification, transparency, and budgetary discipline to prevent recurring debt traps.

A country burdened with huge IMF debts has considerable limits on how it may distribute its budget. Debt servicing takes precedence, depleting funds that could otherwise be used to fund crucial expenditures in healthcare, education, infrastructure, and social welfare.

This is especially burdensome in nations where poverty rates are high and public service delivery is already strained.

Furthermore, fiscal austerity, currency changes, and structural reforms are frequently required as part of IMF programs. While these are meant to restore macroeconomic equilibrium, they can also weaken a country’s policy autonomy.

For nations with stubbornly high IMF debt, continual borrowing feeds a vicious circle of reliance. It creates a situation in which governments govern less for their constituents and more to achieve the IMF’s performance objectives.

As presently constituted some of said countries are currently in talks with the IMF on new funding programs as is the case with Kenya, a country with a nototriuosly high IMF debt.

Additionally, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently began its fourth review mission in Ghana, analyzing the country’s economic performance under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) plan for 2023-2026.

These new developments raise the question of how viable IMF loans are juxtaposed with the economic risks that tag along.

With that said, here are the African countries with the highest debt to the International Monetary Fund in April 2025, as seen on the IMF’s website.

Compared to the top 10 list last month, not much changed in April, save the fact that Morocco went from the 8th spot on the list with a debt of 1,206,350,000, to currently being exempted from the list with a debt of 937,500,000.

In its place, Tanzania took the 10th spot on the list in April.