In October 2014, the World Bank in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), launched the new Quarterly External Debt Statistics (QEDS) SDDS database in line with the classifications and definitions of the 2013 External Debt Statistics: Guide for Compilers and Users (2013 EDS Guide) (PDF) and Sixth Edition of Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6) (PDF). The QEDS SDDS database provides detailed external debt data starting from 1998Q1. Data are published individually by countries that subscribe to the IMF’s Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS), as well as, GDDS participating countries that are in a position to produce the external debt data prescribed by the SDDS.
In order to present data consistent with 2013 EDS Guide/BPM6 basis in the new database, the World Bank converted previously reported data on a 2003 EDS Guide/BPM5 basis onto a 2013 EDS Guide/BPM6 basis for those countries who have not yet switched to the new reporting format. This data was converted to a 2013 EDS Guide/BPM6 basis using a generic conversion template with data up to current quarter. The conversion was undertaken in close consultation with reporting QEDS countries.
A new template was developed for collecting quarterly time series information on a 2013 EDS Guide/BPM6 basis on external debt (SDDS_QEDS_template v2.1.xlsx ).
The core set of tables is based on the SDDS prescribed external debt data category (Table 1) and encouraged debt data categories (Tables 2, 3, and 4). Table 1 includes breakdowns of the total gross external debt position by sector, maturity, and instrument, and the three other tables, Table 2, 3, and 4, gather data on the domestic-foreign currency breakdown of external debt, forward debt service schedule, and principal and interest payments due in one year or less. The remaining set of tables comprise supplementary statistics that go beyond the SDDS requirements to provide further analytical presentations—particularly with respect to sectoral data—and facilitate cross country data analysis. Provision of data for table 1—the table based on the prescribed SDDS data category—by sector, maturity, and instrument is essential to participation.
The QEDS SDDS Template Instructions (PDF) provides further details on the “Updated SDDS QEDS template: Core and Supplementary Tables”, “What is new in the updated QEDS/SDDS template”, and “Main changes included in the updated QEDS tables”. Also, you can find in the instructions document about how to use and complete the SDDS QEDS template, where to send your data and how often the database is updated.
Click here for an Excel file showing the mapping between Table 1 (2003 EDS Guide/BPM5 format) and Table 1 (2013 EDS Guide/BPM6 format).
Frequently asked questions about SDDS data