Global Development Finance 2010: External Debt of Developing Countries (International Debt Statistics)

About the Author The World Bank came into formal existence in 1945 following the international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements. It is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. The organization's activities are focused on education, health, agriculture and rural development, environmental protection, establishing and enforcing regulations, infrastructure development, governance and legal institutions development. The World Bank is made up of two unique development institutions owned by its 185 Member Countries. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) focuses on middle income and creditworthy poor countries and the International Development Association (IDA), which focuses on the poorest countries in the world. Product Description Global Development Finance (GDF)is available in print or electronically. The print edition includes an overview section focusing on trends in financial flows as well as trends in external debt for developing countries in 2008. It also highlights support from the World Bank Group to developing countries and the developments in debt restructuring in 2008. Together with this review of major financial developments in the previous year, you can find summary tables of regional and income group aggregates, and country tables. The electronic editions contain the complete time-series database and are available as a CD-ROM or through an online subscription-GDF Online. Data can be downloaded for further analysis from either the CD-ROM or Online editions. Both include more than 200 historical time series from 1970 to 2008. The database covers external debt stocks and flows and their components, foreign direct investment, and equity flows along with key debt ratios, providing a detailed, country-by-country picture of the debt of developing countries.