A Survey of External Debt Situation in Asian and Pacific Developing Countries: 1988-1989

Abstract

This paper reviews the external debt situation in Asian and Pacific developing countries (APDCs) in 1988 and 1989.The review is primarily based on data of the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the period up to 1988 & and ADB staff estimates for 1989. Country coverage is broader in OECD data than in the World Bank data, but the latter has more detailed information. There are also some differences in individual country data between OECD and the World Bank, mainly because the former is based on creditor sources, while the latter is based on debtor sources. However, there have been concerted efforts to reduce the differences. Section II reviews briefly the main features in the global external debt situation of developing countries; Section III analyzes the changes in the external debt of APDCs; Section IV highlights major findings; and an appendix provides supporting statistical tables.