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Default, Transition, and Recovery: 2023 Annual Global Sovereign Default And Rating Transition Study

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Default, Transition, and Recovery: 2023 Annual Global Sovereign Default And Rating Transition Study

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Local Currency Sovereign Defaults Were Up In 2023

Sovereign credit quality displayed a mixed picture in 2023: Foreign currency (FC) defaults decreased to three from five in 2022 while local currency (LC) defaults rose to six (three of them from Argentina) from one (see chart 1). All defaults were in emerging and frontier markets, where macroeconomic vulnerabilities and limited financing alternatives contributed to distressed exchanges (totaling six in the year) and missed payments (totaling three).

2023 was the first year LC defaults outnumbered FC defaults. Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Mozambique, and Argentina were downgraded to 'SD'. Over the last few decades, domestic debt grew exponentially for these sovereigns, representing a heavy burden that led to debt restructuring. We could see the same in the future, especially for emerging markets sovereigns that rely extensively on local currency borrowing.

Chart 1

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Downgrades (including defaults) among sovereigns rated by S&P Global Ratings remained relatively stable, totaling 10 in 2023, from 11 in 2022. Persistent inflation and rising interest rates pressured the debt servicing ability of sovereigns that were facing weak current account positions and external funding needs.

Upgrades were up to 16, from 13 in 2022, as some sovereigns showed national economic growth and improved fiscal positions. In some cases, sovereigns also benefited from structural reforms.

81% of the rating actions occurred in emerging and frontier markets. This is broadly in line with the composition of our sample: Emerging and frontier markets are 73% of the sovereigns covered in this study, and 62% are rated speculative grade, meaning more prone to rating changes by definition.

A sovereign has flexibility in servicing its local currency debt based on the unique powers it enjoys within its own borders, particularly in its control of domestic financial and monetary systems. As a result, S&P Global Ratings assigns both FC and LC ratings (including public and confidential) to sovereigns. This study focuses on FC ratings unless otherwise noted.

2023 Defaults In Profile

S&P Global Ratings lowered its local currency rating on Sri Lanka to 'SD' (selective default) from 'CC' after it restructured some of its local-currency-denominated government bonds. We classified the debt restructuring as a distressed exchange (see "Sri Lanka Local Currency Ratings Lowered To ‘SD’ From ‘CC/C’," Sept. 19, 2023).

Chart 2

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Between January and November 2022, Cameroon's government made late payments on long-term, foreign currency commercial debt. Full information on these payments incidents only became available in July 2023, and, as such, S&P Global Ratings lowered its FC ratings to 'SD' in August 2023 (see "Cameroon FC Ratings Temporarily Lowered To ‘SD’ On Payment Delays; LC Ratings Lowered To ‘CCC+’ On Liquidity Shortfalls," Aug. 9, 2023).

Chart 3

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Mozambique's government made late payments on long-term, local currency commercial debt between February and May 2023, which led to the sovereign downgrade to 'SD' from 'B-' (see "Mozambique LC Ratings Temporarily Lowered To 'SD' On Delayed Payments; 'CCC+' FC Ratings Affirmed," June 21, 2023).

Chart 4

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The Ethiopian government missed a $33 million coupon payment on its $1 billion Eurobond due Dec. 11 and wasn't in a position to repay the coupon within the 14-day grace period. As such, we lowered the FC ratings on Ethiopia to 'SD' from 'CCC' (see "Ethiopia Foreign Currency Ratings Lowered To ‘SD’ On Suspended Eurobond Coupon Payments," Dec. 16, 2023).

Chart 5

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El Salvador conducted a pension debt exchange (that we viewed as distressed) on April 28, offering private pension funds a mix of new certificates to replace earlier sovereign financial obligations that had been partly issued after a debt exchange conducted in 2017. This was the only sovereign recording both an FC and LC credit rating default in 2023 (see "El Salvador Downgraded To ‘SD’ On Pension Debt Exchange; Distressed Exchange Subsequently Cured," May 10, 2023).

Chart 6

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Argentina defaulted on its LC ratings three times in 2023. In all the cases, the distressed debt exchange arose from peso-debt exchanges offering a mix of nominal, inflation-linked, and dual peso securities to lessen peso-denominated maturities, pushing them to the second and third quarters of 2023 first, and then beyond 2023 political elections into 2024 and 2025. (For more, see "Argentina Local Currency Rating Lowered To ‘SD’ On Distressed Debt Exchange; ‘CCC+’ Foreign Currency Rating Affirmed," Jan. 7, 2023; "Argentina Local Currency Rating Lowered To ‘SD’ On Another Distressed Exchange; ‘CCC+’ Foreign Currency Rating Affirmed," March 9, 2023; and "Argentina Local Currency Rating Lowered To ‘SD’ On Another Distressed Exchange; ‘CCC-‘ Foreign Currency Rating Affirmed," June 8, 2023).

Chart 7

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A Marked Increase In Speculative-Grade Sovereign Upgrades

Sovereigns faced tight financing conditions in 2023 as central banks kept on fighting stubborn inflation, especially in developed economies. Moreover, several sovereigns added incremental debt as they continued to cope with the double shock of the COVID-19 pandemic and high commodity prices (including for food and energy) that were amplified by the Russia-Ukraine war. This led to heightened refinancing risks, especially for sovereigns reliant on external funding, and to debt sustainability issues, in terms of debt servicing capacity.

In particular, Egypt, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka (all rated 'B-' or lower) have interest burdens exceeding 60% of total government revenue. Even if government borrowing costs have likely peaked, the effective rate of servicing existing debt will remain higher than the pre-pandemic level. And given larger government debt stocks, interest bills for sovereigns are set to stay elevated in the years to come (see "Sovereign Debt 2024: Borrowing Will Hit New Post-Pandemic Highs," Feb. 27, 2024).

However, sovereign credit quality showed some resilience in 2023--upgrades outnumbered downgrades 16 to 10 (see chart 8). In particular, speculative-grade upgrades totaled 11, the highest figure since 2011. Six were in Latin America, namely Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, and Costa Rica (upgraded twice).

Three of the upgrades were of sovereigns that were previously downgraded following the COVID-19 shock, namely Congo-Brazzaville, Costa Rica, and Oman. After three years, Congo-Brazzaville returned to its 'B-' rating from 'CCC+' on improved liquidity conditions. The remaining two sovereigns are now rated a notch higher than they were pre-pandemic:

  • Oman was upgraded to 'BB+' from 'BB' on improved resilience of its national economy to external shocks; and
  • Costa Rica was upgraded twice in the year, first to 'B+' from 'B' on improved fiscal execution (in February) and second to 'BB-' from 'B+' on declining external debt amid growth in the export base and accumulation of liquidity (in October).

The number of investment-grade upgrades was little changed since 2022 (see chart 8).

Meanwhile, the number of downgrades remained relatively stable in 2023 with 10, and this was in line with the past two years.

Around 81% of sovereign ratings were unchanged in 2023.

Chart 8

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The upgrade-to-downgrade rate rose in 2023. The upgrade rate was 11.8%, up from 9.3% the prior year and higher than the average of 10.7%. The downgrade rate was 5.2%, up from 4.3% in 2022 but lower than the average of 9.6%.

See "Appendix 2: Regional Ratings Distribution And Rating Actions" for more information on 2023 sovereign upgrades and downgrades.

Table 1

Summary of sovereign net annual foreign currency rating changes (%)
Year Issuers as of Jan. 1 Upgrades Downgrades* Defaults Withdrawn ratings Changed ratings Unchanged ratings Downgrade/upgrade ratio
1975 3 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1976 8 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1977 9 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1978 11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1979 12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1980 12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1981 12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1982 13 0.00 7.69 0.00 0.00 7.69 92.31 N/A
1983 13 0.00 23.08 0.00 0.00 23.08 76.92 N/A
1984 14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1985 14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1986 14 0.00 14.29 0.00 0.00 14.29 85.71 N/A
1987 14 0.00 7.14 0.00 0.00 7.14 92.86 N/A
1988 14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1989 25 4.00 8.00 0.00 0.00 12.00 88.00 2.00
1990 30 0.00 6.67 0.00 0.00 6.67 93.33 N/A
1991 31 19.35 6.45 0.00 0.00 25.81 74.19 0.33
1992 31 0.00 6.45 0.00 0.00 6.45 93.55 N/A
1993 37 8.11 8.11 0.00 0.00 16.22 83.78 1.00
1994 41 9.76 4.88 0.00 0.00 14.63 85.37 0.50
1995 49 22.45 2.04 0.00 0.00 24.49 75.51 0.09
1996 53 15.09 3.77 0.00 0.00 18.87 81.13 0.25
1997 62 11.29 6.45 0.00 0.00 17.74 82.26 0.57
1998 74 6.76 16.22 0.00 0.00 22.97 77.03 2.40
1999 79 11.39 8.86 3.80 0.00 24.05 75.95 0.78
2000 83 10.84 6.02 1.20 0.00 18.07 81.93 0.56
2001 88 18.18 10.23 1.14 0.00 29.55 70.45 0.56
2002 90 15.56 10.00 1.11 0.00 26.67 73.33 0.64
2003 93 18.28 5.38 2.15 1.08 26.88 73.12 0.29
2004 97 27.84 6.19 1.03 0.00 35.05 64.95 0.22
2005 106 16.04 2.83 1.89 0.00 20.75 79.25 0.18
2006 112 17.86 3.57 0.89 1.79 24.11 75.89 0.20
2007 113 20.35 2.65 0.00 0.88 23.89 76.11 0.13
2008 119 7.56 12.61 1.68 0.84 22.69 77.31 1.67
2009 123 1.63 16.26 0.00 1.63 19.51 80.49 10.00
2010 125 16.00 10.40 0.80 0.00 27.20 72.80 0.65
2011 128 14.84 20.31 0.00 1.56 36.72 63.28 1.37
2012 129 7.75 15.50 2.33 0.00 25.58 74.42 2.00
2013 130 4.62 12.31 2.31 2.31 21.54 78.46 2.67
2014 132 8.33 13.64 0.76 1.52 24.24 75.76 1.64
2015 133 11.28 15.79 0.75 0.00 27.82 72.18 1.40
2016 136 6.62 16.91 1.47 1.47 26.47 73.53 2.56
2017 137 9.49 12.41 3.65 2.19 27.74 72.26 1.31
2018 133 10.53 7.52 0.75 0.00 18.80 81.20 0.71
2019 134 13.43 4.48 0.75 0.00 18.66 81.34 0.33
2020 139 2.16 15.83 4.32 0.00 22.30 77.70 7.33
2021 137 3.65 8.03 0.73 0.00 12.41 87.59 2.20
2022 140 9.29 4.29 3.57 0.71 17.86 82.14 0.46
2023 136 11.76 5.15 2.21 0.00 19.12 80.88 0.44
Weighted average 10.65 9.56 1.32 0.56 22.09 77.91 1.53
Median 7.75 6.45 0.00 0.00 18.87 81.13 0.65
Standard deviation 7.53 6.03 1.17 0.66 10.64 10.64 2.05
Minimum 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 63.28 0.09
Maximum 27.84 23.08 4.32 2.31 36.72 100.00 10.00
Note: This table compares the net change in ratings from the first to the last day of each year. All intermediate ratings are disregarded. *Excludes downgrades to 'SD', shown separately in the default column. Descriptive statistics at the bottom of the table based on data from 1975-2023. N/A--Not applicable. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence’s CreditPro®.

As part of our analysis of ratings performance, we measure rating transitions. To measure rating transitions over a one-year horizon, we use a static pool approach to compare the issuer credit ratings as of the beginning of the year with those at year-end. This approach measures the net rating migration for an issuer during the course of the year, rather than the number of times a rating changed.

For example, a rating that we lowered twice in 2023 would be counted as one issuer downgrade, rather than two individual downgrades.

Large rating transitions are not common among sovereigns. Most downgrades are typically one notch, or occasionally two. Sovereign upgrades within a calendar year seldom exceed one notch.

In 2023, for downgrades (excluding defaults), the average change was 1.29 notches, up from 2022 and the highest since 2016. Upgrades were, on average, 1.19 notches in 2023, in line with 2022 and the highest since 2014 (see chart 9).

Chart 9

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Since 1975, 78% of sovereign rating actions within a single year have been rating movements of one notch (see chart 10), and the majority were upgrades (58%). However, when considering rating actions of two or more notches, downgrades overcome upgrades by a factor of four. These findings show that adverse credit shocks tend to materialize in a quicker and less predictable way than uplifts for sovereign credit ratings.

Many of the more pronounced multi-notch downgrades include sovereigns that defaulted from an already low rating category. In 2023, we recorded a six-notch downgrade for Cameroon from 'B-' to 'SD' and a five-notch downgrade for El Salvador from 'CCC+' to 'SD'.

Chart 10

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Ginis And Ratings Performance

All of S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights' default studies have found a clear correlation between ratings and defaults: The higher the rating, the lower the observed frequency of default, and vice versa.

To measure ratings performance, we use the Gini ratio, which is a measure of the rank-ordering power of ratings over a given time horizon, from one through seven years. The Gini ratio shows the ratio of actual rank-ordering performance to a theoretically perfect rank ordering. A Gini coefficient ranges from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating a stronger relationship between lower rating categories and higher default rates (for details on the Gini methodology, see Appendix 1).

The one-year Gini ratio for FC ratings was 91.2% in 2023, above the weighted average value of 90.4%. This marks a substantial change over the past year, when the one-year Gini ratio was 61.6%, mainly as the consequence of the 2022 defaults of Russia (from 'BBB-'), Belarus, and Ukraine (both from 'B').

LC ratings also displayed solid performance in 2023, with a one-year Gini ratio of 90.4%, above the weighted average of 87.7% (see table 2) and significantly up from the 2022 level of 78%.

After the global financial crisis, sovereigns have, for the most part, shown very strong rating performance, with the Gini dipping below 90% during only three of the years for FC and LC ratings. Since sovereigns have a smaller number of rated entities than other sectors, credit events such as the global financial crisis in 2008, the European sovereign debt crisis in 2010-2012, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict that originated in 2022 had outsize effects on rating performance, especially when measured over periods longer than one year.

Chart 11

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Chart 12

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Table 2

Global average Gini coefficients for sovereign ratings
--Time horizon--
(%) One-year Three-year Five-year 10-year
Foreign currency
Weighted average 90.39 81.20 76.96 70.44
Average 88.31 79.61 74.21 68.83
Standard deviation 15.40 11.40 12.59 9.45
Local currency
Weighted average 87.74 75.83 69.72 59.80
Average 88.04 76.99 71.18 65.80
Standard deviation 11.40 16.36 18.10 19.06
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Eight Sovereigns Rated 'CCC+' Or Lower Point To Persistent Default Risk

The number of rated sovereigns has risen through the years as governments have become more prone to raising external financing through international bond markets. We've assigned FC ratings to 163 sovereigns since 1975. Much of the expansion in the number of rated sovereigns occurred between 1988 and 2012, when the tally grew by 105. Given the relatively small and static number of nations in the world, another such increase is unlikely. For that reason, the distribution of sovereign ratings will change almost exclusively with the movement of existing ratings.

As the number of rated sovereigns has climbed, so too has the share of speculative-grade ratings. Specifically, this has occurred since the late 1980s as countries with smaller and less diversified economies have sought credit ratings. By the end of 2023, 44% of sovereign FC ratings were speculative grade, down by 2% from 2022 (see chart 13).

Rated sovereigns have recorded at least one default annually for 12 consecutive years. The increase in defaults, in part, reflects the growing share of speculative-grade ratings as a percentage of sovereign ratings, above 40% since 2003.

Alongside the growth in speculative-grade ratings, the number of sovereigns rated at the lowest rating levels, 'CCC' or lower, remained at eight for the fourth consecutive year. These sovereigns are mainly in the Middle East and Africa (four) and Latin America (three).

This pool of sovereigns rated in the lowest rating category suggests defaults could remain elevated in the coming years. Indeed, as of December 2023, of the eight 'CCC' or lower rated sovereigns, only two have been included within the 'CCC'/'CC' pool for more than two years, as the constituents of the 'CCC' or lower pool has been shifting. And most of the defaults have come from issuers rated at in this 'CCC'/'CC' category.

Chart 13

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As of year-end 2023, 15 sovereigns had different LC and FC sovereign credit ratings. For example, Colombia has a long-term LC rating of 'BBB-' and a long-term FC rating of 'BB+' (see table 3).

The number of these nonaligned sovereign ratings was down from 18 in 2022. S&P Global Ratings raised its LC rating on Guatemala to the same level as the FC rating ('BB'). The ratings on Mozambique and Argentina were realigned after their LC defaults, and S&P Global Ratings suspended both the long- and short-term sovereign credit ratings on the Republic of Belarus on lack of information.

The only addition to the nonaligned sovereign ratings was Ukraine, whose FC rating was lowered to 'CCC', one notch lower than its LC counterpart.

For nonaligned sovereign ratings, the LC ratings tend to be higher than the FC ones. As specified in our "Sovereign Rating Methodology," we determine a sovereign LC rating by applying up to usually no more than one notch of uplift over the FC rating. Sovereign LC ratings can be higher than sovereign FC ratings because local-currency creditworthiness may be supported by the unique powers that sovereigns possess within their own borders, including issuance of the local currency and regulatory control of the domestic financial system.

Table 3

Sovereigns with different foreign currency and local currency ratings as of Dec. 31, 2023
Sovereign Foreign currency ratings (long-term/outlook/short-term) Local currency ratings (long-term/outlook/short-term)
Chile A/Negative/A-1 A+/Negative/A-1
Colombia BB+/Stable/B BBB-/Stable/A-3
Czech Republic AA-/Stable/A-1+ AA/Stable/A-1+
Ghana SD/--/SD CCC+/Stable/C
Lebanon SD/--/SD CC/Negative/C
Malaysia A-/Stable/A-2 A/Stable/A-1
Mexico BBB/Stable/A-2 BBB+/Stable/A-2
New Zealand AA+/Stable/A-1+ AAA/Stable/A-1+
Peru BBB/Negative/A-2 BBB+/Negative/A-2
Poland A-/Stable/A-2 A/Stable/A-1
South Africa BB-/Stable/B BB/Stable/B
Sri Lanka SD/--/SD CCC+/Stable/C
Thailand BBB+/Stable/A-2 A-/Stable/A-2
Ukraine CCC/Negative/C CCC+/Stable/C
Zambia SD/--/SD CCC+/Stable/C
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

The distribution of LC ratings is broadly in line with that of FC ratings (see chart 14). However, the number of 'CCC+' and lower rated LC sovereigns rose to 13 in 2023 from 11 in 2022. The five issuers rated with a 'CCC+' or lower LC, that is different from the FC, are Ghana, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, and Zambia (see table 3).

Chart 14

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Sovereign Foreign Currency Rating Transition Rates

An analysis of transition rates for sovereigns shows that higher ratings are inversely related to the observed frequency of default. Furthermore, investment-grade-rated sovereigns tend to exhibit greater ratings stability (as measured by the frequency of rating transitions) than those rated speculative grade.

From 1975-2023, on average, 96.93% of sovereigns that were rated 'AAA' maintained that rating over a one-year horizon. Over a longer period, ratings tend to show higher rates of transition. For example, the stability rate for 'AAA' decreases over longer horizons yet remains elevated--at 90.95% over three years, 85.04% over five years, 72.29% over 10 years, and 66.28% over 15 years (see tables 4-8).

Despite higher rates of transition over longer horizons, very few of the 'AAA' rated sovereigns that transitioned over a 15-year period had ratings fell below the 'AA' category. On average, 28.8% of sovereigns rated 'AAA' transitioned to the 'AA' category over a 15-year horizon. Over the same period, less than 1.5% of 'AAA' sovereigns migrated to speculative grade, and none transitioned to 'SD'.

On the other hand, from 1975-2023 on average 87.01% of sovereigns rated 'BB' maintained their rating over a one-year horizon, but only 23.62% did not transition to another rating category over 15 years. Over that period, 'BB' rated sovereign credit rating quality improved in 41.7% of cases, worsened in 18.9%, and 15% defaulted.

Table 4

Sovereign foreign currency average one-year transition rates (1975-2023*)
(%) --Ratings one year later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 96.93 3.07 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 1.92 94.04 2.88 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.00 0.00 0.58
A 0.00 3.62 91.15 4.83 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.40
BBB 0.00 0.00 4.08 90.96 4.26 0.35 0.18 0.18 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.87 87.01 5.52 0.71 0.36 0.53
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.77 87.47 3.68 2.72 1.36
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 18.06 45.83 33.33 2.78
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Source: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 5

Sovereign foreign currency average three-year transition rates (1975-2023*)
(%) --Ratings three years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 90.95 8.21 0.17 0.17 0.34 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.17
AA 6.07 83.47 7.32 1.46 0.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.26
A 0.00 10.58 74.51 12.53 1.08 0.22 0.43 0.22 0.43
BBB 0.00 0.00 12.87 73.29 10.72 1.17 0.19 1.36 0.39
BB 0.00 0.00 0.19 16.57 65.90 14.10 0.38 1.90 0.95
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.30 10.76 69.85 5.15 10.45 3.48
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 23.21 19.64 50.00 7.14
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 6

Sovereign foreign currency average five-year transition rates (1975-2023*)
(%) --Ratings five years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 85.04 12.87 0.17 0.87 0.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.35
AA 10.80 73.33 12.18 1.61 0.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.38
A 0.00 17.87 58.24 19.26 2.32 0.23 0.46 1.16 0.46
BBB 0.00 0.00 19.91 59.96 14.22 2.63 0.22 2.19 0.88
BB 0.00 0.00 1.43 21.43 54.08 16.53 1.02 4.08 1.43
B 0.00 0.00 0.17 2.22 12.65 58.80 4.62 16.75 4.79
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.65 16.28 9.30 58.14 11.63
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 7

Sovereign foreign currency average 10-year transition rates (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating 10 years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 72.29 22.87 1.16 1.36 0.58 0.39 0.00 0.00 1.36
AA 21.24 54.57 17.11 4.42 1.77 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.88
A 1.47 23.53 40.00 22.35 5.29 1.76 0.59 4.41 0.59
BBB 0.00 3.90 26.73 40.84 16.52 3.60 0.30 5.41 2.70
BB 0.00 0.00 4.11 30.59 31.62 19.02 1.03 11.31 2.31
B 0.00 0.00 0.25 4.56 19.24 41.27 2.78 26.08 5.82
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.23 12.90 0.00 67.74 16.13
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 8

Sovereign foreign currency average 15-year transition rates (1975-2023*)
(%) --Ratings 15 years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 66.28 28.44 2.06 0.00 0.46 0.69 0.00 0.00 2.06
AA 28.79 40.86 14.79 12.84 1.95 0.39 0.39 0.00 0.00
A 3.13 26.56 37.89 14.84 3.13 5.47 0.39 8.59 0.00
BBB 0.00 8.72 29.82 30.73 13.76 2.75 0.46 8.72 5.05
BB 0.00 0.00 3.69 38.01 23.62 18.45 0.37 14.76 1.11
B 0.00 0.00 0.42 8.02 16.88 34.18 2.95 34.60 2.95
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.17 0.00 8.33 4.17 62.50 20.83
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Another gauge of ratings stability is the average time a sovereign spends at a particular rating. 'AAA' ratings are much more stable than any other rating category (see table 9). The 11 'AAA' sovereigns have averaged nearly 27.5 years at that rating level. The average number of years that each issuer has been at its current rating level tends to be higher for issuers in the higher rating categories.

One exception to this relative measure of stability is in the 'BB' category: Sovereigns in the 'BB' category have spent less time at this rating than 'B' category sovereigns have spent at 'B'. In part, this reflects recent additions to the 'BB' category, such as:

  • Armenia (assigned first rating of 'B+' in October 2021 and upgraded to 'BB-' in August 2023),
  • Jamaica (upgraded to 'BB-' in September 2023 after almost 10 years in the 'B' category),
  • Cote d'Ivoire (assigned first rating of 'BB-' in July 2021), and
  • Morocco and Colombia (downgraded to 'BB+' from 'BBB-' in April and May 2021, respectively).

Table 9

Average time spent at current rating as of Dec. 31, 2023
Rating category Average years Issuer count
AAA 27.49 11
AA 7.29 20
A 5.08 18
BBB 4.95 28
BB 3.66 21
B 4.12 31
CCC/C 1.11 8
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Sovereign Local Currency Rating Actions And Transitions

In 2023, the number of positive rating actions was broadly in line with 2022, with speculative-grade upgrades doubling investment-grade upgrades (see chart 15). The number of downgrades remained around 10 while the number of defaults climbed to six, driving the LC default rate to 2.86%, the highest since 1993 (see table 10).

Chart 15

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Table 10

Summary of sovereign net annual local currency rating changes (%)
Year Issuers as of Jan. 1 Upgrades Downgrades* Defaults Withdrawn ratings Changed ratings Unchanged ratings Downgrade/upgrade ratio
1993 18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1994 23 0.00 4.35 0.00 0.00 4.35 95.65 N/A
1995 26 3.85 3.85 0.00 0.00 7.69 92.31 1.00
1996 33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 N/A
1997 50 8.00 6.00 0.00 0.00 14.00 86.00 0.75
1998 64 3.13 28.13 0.00 0.00 31.25 68.75 9.00
1999 71 7.04 8.45 1.41 0.00 16.90 83.10 1.20
2000 80 11.25 6.25 1.25 0.00 18.75 81.25 0.56
2001 84 15.48 14.29 1.19 0.00 30.95 69.05 0.92
2002 88 9.09 15.91 0.00 0.00 25.00 75.00 1.75
2003 91 14.29 13.19 0.00 1.10 28.57 71.43 0.92
2004 97 17.53 10.31 1.03 0.00 28.87 71.13 0.59
2005 107 13.08 4.67 0.93 0.00 18.69 81.31 0.36
2006 112 13.39 3.57 0.89 1.79 19.64 80.36 0.27
2007 113 20.35 2.65 0.00 0.88 23.89 76.11 0.13
2008 119 6.72 13.45 0.84 0.84 21.85 78.15 2.00
2009 124 1.61 18.55 0.00 2.42 22.58 77.42 11.50
2010 125 14.40 12.00 0.80 0.00 27.20 72.80 0.83
2011 128 10.16 30.47 0.00 1.56 42.19 57.81 3.00
2012 129 6.98 18.60 0.78 0.00 26.36 73.64 2.67
2013 131 4.58 13.74 2.29 2.29 22.90 77.10 3.00
2014 132 8.33 13.64 0.00 1.52 23.48 76.52 1.64
2015 134 11.19 17.16 0.00 0.00 28.36 71.64 1.53
2016 137 7.30 18.25 0.00 1.46 27.01 72.99 2.50
2017 137 10.22 13.87 0.73 2.19 27.01 72.99 1.36
2018 135 9.63 7.41 0.74 0.00 17.78 82.22 0.77
2019 137 13.14 4.38 0.73 0.00 18.25 81.75 0.33
2020 140 2.14 18.57 1.43 0.00 22.14 77.86 8.67
2021 141 4.26 7.80 0.71 0.71 13.48 86.52 1.83
2022 142 9.86 7.04 0.70 1.41 19.01 80.99 0.71
2023 140 10.71 4.29 2.86 0.71 18.57 81.43 0.40
Weighted average 9.38 12.01 0.72 0.75 22.87 77.13 2.15
Median 9.09 10.31 0.71 0.00 22.14 77.86 1.10
Standard deviation 5.26 7.50 0.72 0.82 9.13 9.13 2.82
Minimum 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 57.81 0.13
Maximum 20.35 30.47 2.86 2.42 42.19 100.00 11.50
Note: This table compares the net change in ratings from the first to the last day of each year. All intermediate ratings are disregarded. *Excludes downgrades to 'SD', shown separately in the default column. Descriptive statistics at the bottom of the table based on data from 1993-2023. N/A--Not applicable. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence’s CreditPro®.

The average number of notches of LC downgrades (excluding defaults) decreased to 1.17 in 2023 from 1.70 in 2022. The average notch change of LC upgrades in 2023 was stable around 1.20 (see chart 16).

Chart 16

image

Table 11

Sovereign local currency average one-year transition rates (1993-2023*)
(%) --Ratings one year later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 96.32 3.68 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 1.33 92.46 5.10 0.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.67
A 0.00 2.68 90.61 6.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.38
BBB 0.00 0.00 3.81 89.78 5.21 0.80 0.20 0.00 0.20
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.02 85.81 7.21 0.87 0.44 0.66
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.83 87.63 4.37 1.51 1.66
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 23.08 57.69 14.10 5.13
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 12

Sovereign local currency average five-year transition rates (1993-2023*)
(%) --Ratings five years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 82.17 16.14 0.21 1.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.42
AA 6.01 66.67 22.13 3.01 0.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.64
A 0.00 14.00 59.33 20.00 3.78 0.22 0.44 1.11 1.11
BBB 0.00 0.00 15.83 57.29 18.84 5.53 0.25 1.51 0.75
BB 0.00 0.00 1.30 19.74 48.31 24.42 2.08 2.34 1.82
B 0.00 0.00 0.19 1.95 14.42 60.62 9.36 7.21 6.24
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.38 2.38 38.10 9.52 28.57 19.05
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 13

Sovereign local currency average 15-year transition rates (1993-2023*)
(%) --Ratings 15 years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 64.55 26.67 4.24 1.52 0.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.73
AA 1.69 38.20 31.46 20.79 2.25 1.69 1.12 2.81 0.00
A 2.01 20.48 33.73 13.25 9.64 6.43 0.00 9.64 4.82
BBB 0.00 2.23 18.44 44.69 20.67 10.06 0.00 3.35 0.56
BB 0.00 0.00 5.17 23.56 27.59 26.44 4.02 9.20 4.02
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.88 16.57 43.79 8.28 16.57 5.92
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.76 14.29 14.29 9.52 33.33 23.81
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Historical Sovereign Default Rates

Over our rating history, 29 sovereigns with a public FC or LC rating have defaulted from 1999 through 2023, and half of these have defaulted multiple times. In 2023, El Salvador recorded its third FC default, after defaulting twice in 2017.

Included among the FC defaults of past years are some sovereign members of monetary unions such as Greece and Cyprus within the eurozone (see table 14). In S&P Global Ratings' sovereign rating criteria, defaults of sovereign members of a monetary union are counted as FC defaults because the individual country has no sovereign control over the common currency. In line with this reasoning, the LC ratings on eurozone sovereigns converged with the (often lower) FC ratings when they joined the union.

Table 14

Sovereign foreign currency selective defaults
Sovereign Selective default date Emergence date Time in selective default Rating one year before selective default† Rating three years before selective default†
Russia, first default Jan. 27, 1999 Dec. 8, 2000 22 months BB- -
Pakistan Jan. 29, 1999 Dec. 21, 1999 11 months B+ B+
Indonesia, first default Mar. 29, 1999 Mar. 30, 1999 One day B- BBB
Indonesia, second default§ Apr. 17, 2000 Oct. 2, 2000 Six months CCC+ BBB
Argentina, first default Nov. 6, 2001 Jun. 01, 2005 54 months BB BB
Indonesia, third default Apr. 22, 2002 Sep. 5, 2002 Four months B- CCC+
Paraguay Feb. 13, 2003 Jul. 26, 2004 18 months B B
Uruguay May. 16, 2003 Jun. 02, 2003 One month BB- BBB-
Grenada, first default Dec. 30, 2004 Nov. 18, 2005 11 months BB- -
Venezuela, first default Jan. 18, 2005 Mar. 03, 2005 One month B- B
Dominican Republic Feb. 1, 2005 Jun. 29, 2005 Five months CCC BB-
Belize, first default Dec. 7, 2006 Feb. 20, 2007 Three months CCC- B+
Seychelles* Aug. 7, 2008 - - B -
Ecuador, first default Dec. 15, 2008 Jun. 15, 2009 Six months B- CCC+
Jamaica, first default Jan. 14, 2010 Feb. 24, 2010 One month B B
Greece, first default Feb. 27, 2012 May. 2, 2012 Two months BB+ A-
Mali Mar. 31, 2012 - - - -
Belize, second default Aug. 21, 2012 Mar. 20, 2013 Seven months B- B
Grenada, second default Oct. 8, 2012 Oct. 16, 2012 One week B- B-
Greece, second default Dec. 5, 2012 Dec. 18, 2012 Two weeks CC A-
Jamaica, second default Feb. 12, 2013 Mar. 06, 2013 22 days B- -
Grenada*, third default Mar. 12, 2013 - - B- B-
Cyprus Jun. 28, 2013 Jul. 03, 2013 Five days BB+ A+
Argentina, second default Jul. 30, 2014 May. 06, 2016 22 months B- B
Ukraine, first default Sep. 25, 2015 Oct. 19, 2015 One month CCC B+
Mozambique, first default Apr. 01, 2016 Apr. 15, 2016 15 days B B+
Congo-Brazzaville, first default Aug. 02, 2016 Aug. 09, 2016 One week B -
Mozambique, second default Jan. 18, 2017 Nov. 22, 2019 34 months B- B+
Belize, third default Mar. 17, 2017 Mar. 23, 2017 Six days B- B-
El Salvador, first default Apr. 20, 2017 May. 05, 2017 15 days B+ BB-
Congo-Brazzaville, second default Aug. 01, 2017 Sept. 5, 2015 One month B- B+
El Salvador, second default Oct. 02, 2017 Oct. 03, 2017 One day B+ BB-
Venezuela, second default Nov. 13, 2017 - - CCC CCC+
Barbados Jun. 06, 2018 Dec. 11, 2019 Eighteen months CCC+ B
Argentina, third default Aug. 29, 2019 Aug. 30, 2019 One day B+ B-
Argentina, fourth default§ Dec. 20, 2019 Dec. 30, 2019 Ten days B B-
Lebanon Mar. 11, 2020 - - B- B-
Argentina, fifth default Apr. 07, 2020 Sep. 07, 2020 Five months B B
Ecuador, second default Apr. 13, 2020 Sep. 01, 2020 Four months B- B
Suriname, first default Jul. 13, 2020 Jul. 16, 2020 Three days B B
Belize, fourth default Aug. 12, 2020 Aug. 21, 2020 Nine days B- B-
Zambia Oct. 21, 2020 - - CCC+ B
Suriname, second default Nov. 06, 2020 Dec. 06, 2023 38 months B B
Belize, fifth default May. 24, 2021 Nov. 09, 2021 Five months CCC B-
Russia, second default Apr. 08, 2022 - - BBB- BBB-
Sri Lanka Apr. 25, 2022 - - CCC+ B
Belarus Aug. 03, 2022 - - B B
Ukraine, second default Aug. 12, 2022 Aug. 19, 2022 One week B B-
Ghana Dec. 20, 2022 - - B- B
El Salvador, third default May. 09, 2023 May. 10, 2023 One day B- B-
Cameroon Aug. 08, 2023 Aug. 10, 2023 Two days B- B-
Ethiopia Dec. 15, 2023 - - CCC B
Note: Includes sovereigns that were not rated at the time of default. Mali defaulted in 2012; we withdrew its rating in 2008. *The rating on Seychelles was withdrawn while it was still in default. The rating on Grenada was withdrawn while it was still in default in 2014. §These defaults followed a prior default that occurred within the stated horizon. When an issuer reemerges from default, we treat it as a new issuer. †Public rating captured. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 15

Sovereign local currency selective defaults
Sovereign Selective default date Emergence date Time in selective default Rating one year before selective default Rating three years before selective default
Dominican Republic Apr. 9, 1999 Jun. 12, 2001 26 months BB -
Suriname, first default Jan. 1, 2000 Feb. 2, 2001 13 months - -
Argentina, first default Nov. 6, 2001 Jun. 1, 2005 43 months BBB- BBB-
Cameroon Sep. 1, 2004 Dec. 3, 2004 Three months - -
Grenada, first default Jan. 1, 2005 Nov. 18, 2005 11 months BB- -
Grenada, second default§ Dec. 1, 2006 Apr. 2, 2007 Four months B- BB-
Ecuador, first default Dec. 15, 2008 Jun. 15, 2009 Six months B- CCC+
Jamaica, first default Jan. 14, 2010 Feb. 24, 2010 One month B B
Greece, first default Feb. 27, 2012 May. 2, 2012 Two months BB+ A-
Greece, second default§ Dec. 5, 2012 Dec. 18, 2012 Two weeks CC A-
Mali Dec. 31, 2012 - - - -
Jamaica, second default Feb. 12, 2013 Mar. 06, 2013 22 days B- B-
Grenada*, third default Mar. 12, 2013 - - B- B-
Cyprus Jun. 28, 2013 Jul. 03, 2013 Five days BB+ A+
El Salvador, first default Apr. 20, 2017 May. 05, 2017 15 days B+ BB-
El Salvador, second default§ Oct. 02, 2017 Oct. 03, 2017 One day B+ BB-
Barbados Aug. 7, 2018 Nov. 16, 2018 Three months CCC+ B
Argentina, second default Aug. 29, 2019 Aug. 30, 2019 One day B+ B-
Argentina, third default Jan. 21, 2020 Sep. 07, 2020 Eight months B B-
Ecuador, second default Apr. 13, 2020 Sep. 01, 2020 Four months B- B
Suriname, second default 6/3/2021 Dec. 06, 2023 30 months CCC+ B
Ghana 12/6/2022 Feb. 24, 2023 Three months B- B
Argentina, fourth default Jan. 06, 2023 Jan. 09, 2023 Three days CCC+ CC
Argentina, fifth default§ Mar. 09, 2023 Mar. 14, 2023 Five days CCC+ -
El Salvador, third default May. 09, 2023 May. 10, 2023 One day B- B-
Argentina, sixth default§ Jun. 08, 2023 Jun. 13, 2023 Five days CCC+ -
Mozambique Jun. 20, 2023 Jun. 21, 2023 One day B- B-
Sri Lanka Sep. 19, 2023 Sep. 25, 2023 Six days CCC- B-
Note: Includes sovereigns that were not rated at the time of default. Cameroon and Grenada (excluding the third default) cured their local currency defaults before the ratings were changed. Mali defaulted in 2012; we withdrew its rating in 2008. *The rating on Grenada was withdrawn while it was still in default in 2014. §These defaults followed a prior default that occurred within the stated horizon. When an issuer reemerges from default, we treat it as a new issuer. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

During 1975-2023, no sovereign that was rated 'AAA' at the beginning of a year defaulted within the ensuing 15 years. Moreover, the cumulative default rates were generally higher at lower rating levels, as one would expect.

For example, from 1975-2023, the five-year average cumulative default rate for sovereigns rated in the 'A' category was only about 1.13%. By comparison, the five-year average cumulative default rate for sovereigns rated in the 'BBB' category was 2.57%; the 'BB' category, 3.87%; the 'B' category, 18.15%; and the 'CCC'/'CC' categories, 52.03%.

The 15-year cumulative default rate averaged 3.63% for sovereigns with investment-grade ratings and 31.66% for sovereigns with speculative-grade ratings. The same trends are generally true when calculating default rates disaggregated by rating category and confirm the non-linearity of the rating scale: The difference between the 15-year cumulative default rate of the 'A' category and the 'BBB' category is significantly smaller than the difference between the 'BB' and 'B' categories.

Lower ratings by rating category generally exhibit higher default rates over each time span (for example, as in the one- to 10-year time horizons shown in table 16). While this largely holds true, some exceptions occur, such as when the number of defaults is low or when the underlying population of issuers is very small--such as at the rating modifier level.

One exception is the cumulative default rates for sovereign LC ratings in the 'A' and 'BBB' categories over the eight- to 15-year horizon (see table 17). The 'A' category includes defaults of Greece, Cyprus, and Barbados, since these issuers had previously been rated in the 'A' category.

While the cumulative default rates for the 'A' and 'BBB' categories have declined in recent years, these defaults continue to have an outsize impact on the relatively small sample of 'A' issuers. (For more detail on the cumulative default rates at the rating modifier level, please see table 62).

Table 16

Sovereign foreign currency cumulative average default rates* without rating modifiers (1975-2023)
(%) --Time horizon (years)--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.22 0.66 1.13 1.61 2.12 2.66 3.23 3.82 4.43 5.08 5.76 6.13 6.92
BBB 0.18 0.73 1.51 2.13 2.57 3.03 3.52 4.04 4.59 5.20 5.85 6.57 7.34 8.61 9.52
BB 0.36 1.28 1.85 2.44 3.87 5.36 6.91 8.55 9.77 10.55 11.10 11.70 12.34 13.02 13.40
B 2.72 6.73 10.81 14.62 18.15 21.18 24.39 27.40 30.00 32.31 34.81 37.24 39.29 41.56 44.09
CCC/CC 33.33 41.27 46.95 49.36 52.03 60.49 63.79 63.79 63.79 63.79 67.41 67.41 67.41 67.41 67.41
Investment grade 0.05 0.19 0.43 0.68 0.89 1.11 1.34 1.58 1.83 2.09 2.37 2.66 2.96 3.28 3.63
Speculative grade 3.36 6.27 8.92 11.28 13.84 16.35 18.79 21.06 22.93 24.45 26.07 27.55 28.86 30.28 31.66
All rated 1.32 2.51 3.66 4.71 5.79 6.86 7.90 8.89 9.72 10.43 11.18 11.88 12.53 13.22 13.90
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Generally, the cumulative default rates by rating category have been higher for FC sovereign credit ratings than for LC sovereign credit ratings (see tables 16 and 17). As our "Sovereign Rating Methodology" explains, we consider that--other things being equal--the probability of default on a sovereign's local currency obligation could be lower than on a foreign currency obligation. Furthermore, the LC sovereign default rates could also be understated because it is hard to detect forced rollovers of domestic bank debt or coerced exchanges of local law, local currency debt when domestic financial institutions hold the debt.

Table 17

Sovereign local currency cumulative average default rate* without rating modifiers (1993-2023)
(%) --Time horizon (years)--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.41 0.85 1.34 1.87 2.43
A 0.00 0.00 0.21 0.63 1.08 1.54 2.04 2.56 3.11 3.99 4.61 5.25 5.94 6.69 7.52
BBB 0.00 0.42 0.87 1.10 1.36 1.62 2.19 2.49 2.82 2.82 2.82 2.82 2.82 2.82 2.82
BB 0.44 1.12 1.36 1.60 2.12 2.94 3.52 4.45 5.43 6.13 6.88 8.12 9.48 10.49 11.05
B 1.51 3.26 5.13 6.75 8.48 9.93 11.50 13.20 14.55 16.32 17.97 19.07 20.31 22.19 24.33
CCC/CC 14.10 18.47 23.46 27.49 32.02 39.31 41.94 41.94 41.94 41.94 45.57 45.57 45.57 45.57 45.57
Investment grade 0.00 0.10 0.27 0.44 0.62 0.80 1.06 1.27 1.49 1.72 1.96 2.22 2.50 2.80 3.12
Speculative grade 1.92 3.41 4.81 6.00 7.36 8.82 10.02 11.31 12.43 13.65 14.98 16.08 17.30 18.67 19.95
All rated 0.72 1.34 1.96 2.50 3.11 3.75 4.34 4.92 5.44 6.00 6.60 7.13 7.70 8.32 8.92
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Sovereigns that approach default usually experience multiple successive downgrades as the likelihood of default increases (see table 18). However, in 2023 Cameroon, Mozambique, and Ethiopia experienced a quick degradation in their sovereign credit quality, without downgrades within the 12 months before.

Table 18

Length of time to default
Government Date of default Date of initial rating Highest rating before default Last date of highest rating Number of intermediate rating actions
Foreign currency sovereign credit rating defaults
Russia Jan. 27, 1999 Oct. 07, 1996 BB- Jun. 8, 1998 4
Pakistan Jan. 29, 1999 Nov. 21, 1994 B+ May. 31, 1998 4
Indonesia, first default Mar. 29, 1999 Jul. 20, 1992 BBB Oct. 9, 1997 7
Indonesia, second default§ Apr. 17, 2000 Mar. 30, 1999 CCC+ Apr. 16, 2000 0
Argentina, first default Nov. 06, 2001 Aug. 25, 1993 BB Nov. 13, 2000 7
Indonesia, third default Apr. 22, 2001 Oct. 02, 2000 B- May. 20, 2001 2
Paraguay Feb. 13, 2003 Oct. 23, 1995 BB- Feb. 3, 1999 3
Uruguay May. 16, 2003 Feb. 14, 1994 BBB- Feb. 13, 2002 7
Grenada, first default Dec. 30, 2004 Mar. 22, 2002 BB- Sep. 16, 2004 2
Venezuela, first default Jan. 18, 2005 Oct. 05, 1977 AAA Aug. 12, 1982 14
Dominican Republic Feb. 01, 2005 Feb. 13, 1997 BB- Jun. 9, 2003 5
Belize, first default Dec. 07, 2006 Aug. 22, 2000 BB Oct. 22, 2001 7
Seychelles* Aug. 07, 2008 Sep. 14, 2006 B July. 31, 2008 1
Ecuador, first default Dec. 15, 2008 Aug. 25, 2000 B- Nov. 13, 2008 7
Jamaica, first default Jan. 14, 2010 Nov. 09, 1999 B+ Jul. 27, 2003 5
Greece, first default Feb. 27, 2012 Sep. 09, 1988 A+ Nov. 16, 2004 13
Mali Mar. 31, 2012 May. 05, 2004 B Jul. 02, 2008 0
Belize, second default Aug. 21, 2012 Feb. 20, 2007 B Aug. 3, 2011 4
Grenada, second default Oct. 08, 2012 Nov. 18, 2005 B- Oct. 7, 2012 2
Greece, second default Dec. 05, 2012 May. 02, 2012 CCC Dec. 4, 2012 0
Jamaica, second default Feb. 12, 2013 Feb. 24, 2010 B- Feb. 11, 2013 0
Grenada*, third default Mar. 12, 2013 Oct. 16, 2012 CCC+ Mar. 11, 2013 0
Cyprus Jun. 28, 2013 Feb. 14, 1994 AA- Nov. 8, 1998 12
Argentina, second default Jul. 30, 2014 Jun. 01, 2005 B+ Aug. 10, 2008 8
Ukraine, first default Sep. 25, 2015 Dec. 21, 2001 BB- Jun. 11, 2008 14
Mozambique, first default Apr. 01, 2016 Jul. 07, 2004 B+ Feb. 13, 2014 4
Congo-Brazzaville, first default Aug. 02, 2016 Oct. 22, 2013 B+ Feb. 8, 2015 2
Mozambique, second default Jan. 18, 2017 Apr. 15, 2016 B- May. 26, 2016 2
Belize, third default Mar. 17, 2017 Mar. 20, 2013 B- Nov. 13, 2016 2
El Salvador, first default Apr. 20, 2017 Aug. 26, 1996 BB+ May. 11, 2009 7
Congo-Brazzaville, second default Aug. 01, 2017 Aug. 09, 2016 B- Jul. 6, 2017 1
El Salvador, second default Oct. 02, 2017 May. 05, 2017 CC Oct. 1, 2017 0
Venezuela*, second default Nov. 13, 2017 Mar. 03, 2005 BB- Aug. 18, 2011 9
Barbados Jun. 06, 2018 Dec. 17, 1999 A- Aug. 4, 2004 9
Argentina, third default Aug. 29, 2019 May. 06, 2016 B+ Oct. 30, 2017 4
Argentina, fourth default§ Dec. 20, 2019 Aug. 30, 2019 CCC- Dec. 19, 2019 0
Lebanon Mar. 11, 2020 Feb. 26, 1997 BB- Feb. 04, 1998 9
Argentina, fifth default Apr. 07, 2020 Dec. 30, 2019 CCC- Apr. 06, 2020 1
Ecuador, second default Apr. 13, 2020 Jun. 15, 2009 B+ Aug. 11, 2015 6
Suriname, first default Jul. 13, 2020 Nov. 23, 1999 BB- Apr. 27, 2014 6
Belize, fourth default Aug. 12, 2020 Mar. 23, 2017 B- Apr. 15, 2020 2
Zambia Oct. 21, 2020 Mar. 22, 2011 B+ Oct. 24, 2013 5
Suriname, second default Nov. 06, 2020 Jul. 16, 2020 CCC Nov. 05, 2020 0
Belize, fifth default May. 24, 2021 Aug. 21, 2020 CCC+ Feb. 24, 2021 1
Russia, second default Apr. 08, 2022 Dec. 08, 2000 BBB+ Dec. 07, 2008 15
Sri Lanka Apr. 25, 2022 Dec. 08, 2005 B+ Feb. 28, 2018 7
Belarus Aug. 03, 2022 Aug. 21, 2007 B+ Mar. 14, 2011 5
Ukraine, second default Aug. 12, 2022 Oct. 19, 2015 B Feb. 24, 2022 4
Ghana Dec. 20, 2022 Sep. 04, 2003 B+ Aug. 26, 2010 6
El Salvador, third default May. 09, 2023 Oct. 03, 2017 B- May. 31, 2022 2
Cameroon Aug. 08, 2023 Nov. 26, 2003 B Apr. 09, 2020 4
Ethiopia Dec. 15, 2023 May. 09, 2014 B Feb. 11, 2021 3
Local-currency sovereign credit rating defaults
Dominican Republic Apr. 9, 1999 Nov. 12, 1997 BB Apr. 8, 1999 0
Suriname, first default Jan. 1, 2000 Nov. 23, 1999 B Dec. 31, 1999 0
Argentina, first default Nov. 6, 2001 Sep. 01, 1994 BBB- Nov. 13, 2000 6
Cameroon Sep. 1, 2004 Nov. 26, 2003 B Aug. 31, 2004 0
Grenada, first default Jan. 1, 2005 Mar. 22, 2002 BB- Sep. 16, 2004 3
Grenada, second default§ Dec. 1, 2006 Nov. 18, 2005 B- Nov. 30, 2006 0
Ecuador, first default Dec. 15, 2008 Aug. 25, 2000 B- Nov. 13, 2008 6
Jamaica, first default Jan. 14, 2010 Nov. 09, 1999 BB- Jul. 27, 2003 6
Greece, first default Feb. 27, 2012 Mar. 26, 1997 A+ Nov. 16, 2004 10
Greece, second default§ Dec. 5, 2012 May. 02, 2012 CCC Dec. 4, 2012 0
Mali Dec. 31, 2012 May. 05, 2004 B Jul. 02, 2008 0
Jamaica, second default Feb. 12, 2013 Feb. 24, 2010 B- Feb. 11, 2013 0
Grenada*, third default Mar. 12, 2013 Apr. 02, 2007 B- Oct. 7, 2012 2
Cyprus Jun. 28, 2013 Jul. 16, 1996 AA+ Nov. 8, 1998 14
El Salvador, first default Apr. 20, 2017 Aug. 26, 1996 BBB+ Jan. 22, 2001 7
El Salvador, second default§ Oct. 2, 2017 May. 05, 2017 CC Oct. 1, 2017 0
Barbados Aug. 7, 2018 Dec. 17, 1999 AA- Aug. 19, 2003 11
Argentina, second default Aug. 29, 2019 Jun. 01, 2005 B+ Oct. 30, 2017 12
Argentina, third default Jan. 21, 2020 Aug. 30, 2019 CCC- Jan. 20, 2020 2
Ecuador, second default Apr. 13, 2020 Jun. 15, 2009 B+ Aug. 11, 2015 6
Suriname, second default Jun. 03, 2021 Feb. 02, 2001 BB Apr. 27, 2014 8
Ghana Dec. 06, 2022 Sep. 04, 2003 B+ Mar. 15, 2009 5
Argentina, fourth default Jan. 06, 2023 Sep. 07, 2020 CCC+ Nov. 15, 2022 1
Argentina, fifth default Mar. 09, 2023 Jan. 09, 2023 CCC- Mar. 08, 2023 0
El Salvador, third default May. 09, 2023 Oct. 03, 2017 B- May. 31, 2022 2
Argentina, sixth default Jun. 08, 2023 Mar. 14, 2023 CCC- Jun. 07, 2023 0
Mozambique Jun. 20, 2023 Jul. 07, 2004 B+ Feb. 13, 2014 3
Sri Lanka Sep. 19, 2023 Dec. 08, 2005 BB- Feb. 28, 2012 9
Note: Includes sovereigns that were not rated at the time of default. Mali defaulted in 2012; we withdrew its rating in 2008. *The rating on Seychelles was withdrawn while it was still in default. The rating on Grenada was withdrawn while it was still in default in 2014. Cameroon and Grenada (excluding the third default) cured their local currency defaults before the ratings were changed. §These defaults followed a prior default that occurred within the stated horizon. When an issuer reemerges from default, we treat it as a new issuer. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

On average, for sovereigns that eventually default, there is a correlation between the initial rating and the time to default--the higher the rating, the longer the time to default. For example, for the entire pool of sovereign defaults (1975-2023), the average times to default for issuers that were originally rated in the 'AA' and 'BBB' categories were 19.37 years and 15.08 years, respectively, from the initial ratings, whereas issuers in the 'B' rating category had an average time to default of only 8.90 years.

Tables 19 and 20 display the medians, averages, and standard deviations for the time to default from the original rating for FC and LC ratings. Note that when an issuer emerges from a default (including selective default), we treat it as a new entity with a newly assigned initial rating.

Tables 21 and 22 present the average and median times to default from the date that each entity received each unique rating in its path to default, excluding the original rating.

Generally speaking, the average time to default for each rating category is longer when based on the initial rating on a sovereign than it is based on post-original ratings.

Table 19

Time to default from original rating--foreign currency ratings (years)
Average Median Standard deviation Number of defaults
AAA 27.29 27.29 - 1
AA 19.37 19.37 - 1
A 18.47 18.47 - 1
BBB 15.08 15.08 11.86 2
BB 9.98 7.75 7.74 8
B 8.90 7.97 6.25 29
CCC/CC 1.90 0.41 3.34 11
Total 8.57 6.89 7.50 53
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 20

Time to default from original rating--local currency ratings (years)
Average Median Standard deviation Number of defaults
AAA - - - -
AA 17.79 17.79 1.19 2
A 14.92 14.92 - 1
BBB 13.92 13.92 9.52 2
BB 7.32 2.78 9.08 3
B 9.53 8.66 7.78 11
CCC/CC 2.68 0.50 3.62 10
Total 8.00 5.94 7.56 29
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 21

Time to default from post-original ratings--foreign currency ratings (years)
Average Median Standard deviation Number of defaults
AAA - - - 0
AA 22.43 22.43 1
A 9.32 8.72 6.10 1
BBB 9.23 7.95 6.38 4
BB 7.44 5.50 6.80 4
B 5.37 3.88 5.19 23
CCC/CC 1.25 0.38 2.72 11
NR 3.74 3.74 1
Total 4.79 2.21 5.68 45
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 22

Time to default from post-original ratings--local currency ratings (years)
Average Median Standard deviation Number of defaults
AAA - - - 0
AA 14.10 14.10 0.75 1
A 7.96 8.57 4.38 2
BBB 4.55 2.20 3.62 0
BB 6.35 6.06 5.30 3
B 5.33 4.23 4.55 9
CCC/CC 1.09 0.52 1.70 3
NR 4.50 4.50 1
Total 4.59 2.61 4.67 19
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Appendix 1: Gini Ratios

In addition to examining the absolute performance of ratings, we examine their relative performance. We utilize the Lorenz curve, a graphical representation of the proportionality of a distribution, as one measure of relative ratings performance, and we summarize this via the Gini coefficient.

The Lorenz curve is plotted with the x-axis showing the cumulative share of issuers, arranged by rating, while the y-axis represents the cumulative share of defaulters, also arranged by rating. For both axes of the Lorenz curve, the observations are ordered from the low end of the ratings scale ('CCC'/'CC') to the high end ('AAA').

As an example, if 'CCC'/'CC' rated entities made up 10% of the total population of issuers at the start of the time frame examined (x-axis) and 50% of the defaulters (y-axis), then the coordinate (10, 50) would be the first point on the curve. If S&P Global Ratings' sovereign credit ratings only randomly approximated default risk, the Lorenz curve would fall along the diagonal. Its Gini coefficient--which is a summary statistic of the Lorenz curve--would thus be zero. If the ratings were perfectly rank ordered so that all defaults occurred only among the lowest-rated entities, the curve would capture all of the area above the diagonal on the graph (the ideal curve), and the Gini coefficient would be 1.

Lorenz curves for FC and LC sovereign credit ratings resemble the ideal Lorenz curves, though the small sample size results in less accurate readings than in larger sectors. A larger number of data points would register a smooth line that curves as in chart 18. Many of the other charts show lines that take sharp turns, resulting in angles rather than curves.

Chart 17 shows that sovereigns rated 'CCC+' and lower accounted for 2.02% of ratings and above 50% of defaults over a one-year horizon. Sovereigns rated 'B+' and lower accounted for 22.59% of sovereign ratings and yet around 93.62% of defaults. Because there are no defaults at any rating level higher than 'BBB-' over a one-year horizon, the chart shows a strong relationship between speculative-grade ratings and defaults. Fewer defaults come from the higher-rated cohorts of sovereigns.

Chart 17

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Table 23

Sovereign one-year Lorenz curve values
(%) Y-axis: cumulative proportion of defaults X-axis: cumulative proportion of ratings
AAA 100.00 100.00
AA+ 100.00 82.65
AA 100.00 77.86
AA- 100.00 72.93
A+ 100.00 68.08
A 100.00 64.13
A- 100.00 58.94
BBB+ 100.00 54.15
BBB 100.00 49.92
BBB- 100.00 44.93
BB+ 97.87 38.34
BB 97.87 34.05
BB- 97.87 28.90
B+ 93.62 22.59
B 93.62 14.69
B- 78.72 7.20
CCC/CC 51.06 2.02
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Chart 18

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Chart 19

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Chart 20

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Over the one-, three-, five-, and 10-year horizons, weighted average Gini coefficients for FC sovereign credit ratings are higher than those of LC ratings. FC and LC Gini coefficients are based on two separate datasets. FC ratings present a larger sample, with ratings over a longer time horizon and more defaults. The rating history for LC ratings begins in 1993, so credit events such as the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the global financial crisis in 2008, and the eurozone sovereign debt crisis in 2010-2012 have a higher weighting within the shorter sample period of LC ratings (see charts 21-24).

Chart 21

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Chart 22

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Chart 23

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Chart 24

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Appendix 2: Regional Ratings Distribution And Rating Actions

Regional ratings distribution

For this report, we segment most of the sovereigns S&P Global Ratings has ratings on into five regions:

  • Middle East and Africa (including North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa),
  • Latin America (including the Caribbean),
  • Asia-Pacific,
  • Eurozone, and
  • Central and Eastern Europe and CIS--the former Soviet republics.

In this study, we also include a broad designation for emerging and frontier markets, consisting of 103 sovereigns (currently and formerly rated), which come from all of the above categories except the eurozone (see table 24).

Table 24

Governments by region
Middle East and Africa Latin America Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States* Asia-Pacific Eurozone Emerging and frontier markets

Abu Dhabi

Argentina

Albania

Australia

Austria

Abu Dhabi

El Salvador

Papua New Guinea

Angola

Aruba

Armenia

Bangladesh

Belgium

Albania

Ethiopia

Paraguay

Bahrain

Bahamas

Azerbaijan

Cambodia

Cyprus

Angola

Fiji

Peru

Benin

Barbados

Belarus

China

Estonia§

Argentina

Gabon

Philippines

Botswana

Belize

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Cook Islands

Finland

Armenia

Georgia

Poland

Burkina Faso

Bermuda

Bulgaria

Fiji

France

Aruba

Ghana

Qatar

Cameroon

Bolivia

Croatia

Hong Kong

Germany

Azerbaijan

Grenada

Ras Al Khaimah

Cape Verde

Brazil

Czech Republic

India

Greece

Bahamas

Guatemala

Romania

Congo

Chile

Estonia§

Indonesia

Ireland

Bahrain

Honduras

Russia

Congo, D.R.

Colombia

Georgia

Japan

Italy

Bangladesh

Hong Kong

Rwanda

Cote d'Ivoire

Costa Rica

Hungary

Korea

Latvia§

Barbados

Hungary

Saudi Arabia

Egypt

Curacao

Kazakhstan

Malaysia

Lithuania§

Belarus

India

Senegal

Ethiopia

Dominican Republic

Latvia§

Mauritius

Luxembourg

Belize

Indonesia

Serbia

Ghana

Ecuador

Lithuania§

Mongolia

Malta

Bermuda

Iraq

Sharjah

Iraq

El Salvador

Montenegro

New Zealand

Netherlands

Bolivia

Israel

Singapore

Israel

Guatemala

North Macedonia

Pakistan

Portugal

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Jamaica

South Africa

Jordan

Honduras

Poland

Papua New Guinea

Slovakia§

Botswana

Jordan

Sri Lanka

Kenya

Jamaica

Romania

Philippines

Slovenia§

Brazil

Kazakhstan

Suriname

Kuwait

Mexico

Russia

Singapore

Spain

Bulgaria

Kenya

Taiwan

Lebanon

Montserrat

Serbia

Sri Lanka

Burkina Faso

Korea

Tajikistan

Morocco

Nicaragua

Slovakia§

Taiwan

Cambodia

Kuwait

Thailand

Mozambique

Panama

Slovenia§

Thailand

Cameroon

Lebanon

Togo

Nigeria

Paraguay

Tajikistan

Vietnam

Cape Verde

Malaysia

Trinidad and Tobago

Oman

Peru

Turkiye

Chile

Mexico

Tunisia

Qatar

Suriname

Ukraine

China

Mongolia

Turkiye

Ras Al Khaimah

Trinidad and Tobago

Uzbekistan

Colombia

Montenegro

Turks and Caicos

Rwanda

Turks and Caicos

Congo, D.R.

Montserrat

Uganda

Saudi Arabia

Uruguay

Congo

Morocco

Ukraine

Senegal

Venezuela

Costa Rica

Mozambique

Uruguay

Sharjah

Cote d'Ivoire

Nicaragua

Uzbekistan

South Africa

Croatia

Nigeria

Venezuela

St. Helena

Curacao

North Macedonia

Vietnam

Togo

Dominican Republic

Oman

Zambia

Uganda

Ecuador

Pakistan

Zambia

Egypt

Panama

*Commonwealth of Independent States, the alliance of 12 of the former republics of the Soviet Union. §Included in two European regions. Source: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights.

Most new sovereign ratings since 1998 have come from the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, and these regions have added the most speculative-grade ratings over the past decade.

The number of sovereign ratings in Central and Eastern Europe and CIS has also risen substantially over the past 20 years, totaling 24 at the end of 2023.

The eurozone and Asia-Pacific displayed a higher concentration of investment-grade-rated issuers than other regions, namely 100% and 67%, respectively. These two regions have been relatively stable in terms of the number of rated sovereigns. For the eurozone (see table 24), S&P Global Ratings has rated all 19 of those sovereigns since at least 1997, while Asia-Pacific has had 20-23 since 2006.

Much of the growth in sovereign ratings has come from regions with higher concentrations of lower-rated issuers. This has weakened overall sovereign credit quality, even as the number of rated countries globally has increased.

Middle East and Africa

At the end of 2023, 31 sovereigns in the Middle East and Africa were rated between 'AA' and 'CCC/CC', while three were in default. This compares to nine rated sovereigns in 1998. Most of the issuers in the region were rated speculative grade (22), with 15 of those in the 'B' category or lower (see chart 25).

Chart 25

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Latin America

The number of Latin American sovereign credit ratings has increased steadily since 1992, and at least 50% of the rated issuers have been speculative grade in all but one year (2014). At the end of 2023, 28 Latin American sovereigns had FC sovereign credit ratings, and 17 of these were rated speculative grade. Among the 11 investment-grade sovereigns, the 'BBB' category was the largest, with nine (see chart 26).

Chart 26

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Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific had 21 rated sovereigns between 'AAA' and 'CCC/CC', with an additional issuer (Sri Lanka) in default. The region displayed a broad mix of sovereigns with different credit quality. 67% of rated sovereigns were investment grade, with two 'AAA' rated sovereigns: Australia and Singapore. Among speculative-grade sovereigns in the region, the 'B' rating category was the largest share of issuers at the end of 2023, with four out of seven (see chart 27).

Chart 27

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Central and Eastern Europe and CIS

At the end of 2023, there were 24 rated sovereigns from Central and Eastern Europe and CIS, equally distributed between investment grade and speculative grade. 46% of rated sovereigns were in the 'BBB' and 'BB' rating categories (see chart 28).

Chart 28

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Eurozone

Among our regional categories, the eurozone contains the fewest sovereign credit ratings, with 19, and this number has not changed since 1997. With the 2023 upgrade on Greece, all eurozone sovereign ratings were investment grade as of December 2023. Moreover, more than half of eurozone sovereign credit ratings were either within the 'AA' or 'A' categories (see chart 29).

Chart 29

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Emerging and frontier markets

At the end of 2023, there were 91 rated emerging and frontier markets, of which 62% were speculative grade. The number of rated emerging market sovereigns has more than doubled since 1998, and the majority of this region's ratings have been speculative grade in each of those years. The 'B' rating category is the largest within emerging and frontier markets, accounting for about 50% of speculative-grade issuers. The number of emerging and frontier markets rated 'CCC+' and lower rose to eight in 2023, from one in 2018 (see chart 30).

Chart 30

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Regional rating movement

Middle East and Africa.  Middle East and African sovereigns recorded four downgrades and three upgrades in 2023, a net negative count in rating actions, as in eight of the last 10 years. The four downgrades, besides Cameroon's and Ethiopia's defaults, were of Uganda and Egypt.

S&P Global Ratings downgraded Uganda to 'B-' from 'B' on mounting debt servicing costs given the rising proportion of funding from more expensive commercial sources. Egypt was downgraded to 'B-' from 'B' owing to delays in implementing structural reforms, which exacerbated external pressure.

On the other side, in addition to Oman and Congo-Brazzaville, Saudi Arabia was upgraded to 'A' from 'A-' on non-oil economic growth and widening of the non-oil tax base, alongside significant social liberalization.

Downgrades have been more dominant in the region since the global financial crisis, with 58 downgrades and only 14 upgrades over the past 10 years (see chart 31).

Chart 31

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Latin America.  In Latin America, upgrades outnumbered downgrades 5 to 3 (see chart 32).

Upgrades last year were:

  • Brazil to 'BB' from 'BB-' on a significant overhaul of the tax system, which will likely translate into productivity gains over the long term;
  • Costa Rica upgraded to 'BB-' from 'B+' on stronger financial performance amid dynamic economic growth;
  • Guatemala upgraded to 'BB' from 'BB-' owing to cautious fiscal and monetary policies that have stabilized the economy and should support continued GDP growth;
  • Jamaica upgraded to 'BB-' from 'B+' on its expanding economy, supporting government finances and propelling a lower debt burden; and
  • Uruguay upgraded to 'BBB+' from 'BBB' on enhancements to its fiscal policy framework, including the likely passage of social security reform.

The downgrades were:

  • El Salvador defaulted and Argentina (FC) downgraded to 'CCC-' from 'CCC' on heightened risks and vulnerabilities surrounding the repayment of foreign currency commercial debt; and
  • Bolivia downgraded twice to end at 'CCC+' from 'B' owing to weakening external liquidity, impairing the government's capacity to make timely debt service payments.

Chart 32

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Asia-Pacific.  S&P Global Ratings did not upgrade or downgrade any sovereigns in the Asia-Pacific region in 2023 (see chart 33).

Chart 33

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Central and Eastern Europe and CIS.  Two upgrades and two downgrades occurred in the region in 2023 (see chart 34):

  • Armenia upgraded to 'BB-' from 'B+' on improvements in GDP per capita and fiscal performance;
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina upgraded to 'B+' from 'B' on resilient economic performance and an overall favorable consolidated general government fiscal position;
  • Hungary downgraded to 'BBB-' from 'BBB' due to persistent high inflation, exchange rate volatility, and external pressures; and
  • Ukraine downgraded to 'CCC' from 'CCC+' following the external debt restructuring plan in mid-2024 announced by the government, as the country is strained by the ongoing war with Russia.

Chart 34

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Eurozone.  Over the past 10 years, eurozone sovereign rating actions have been largely positive, as the region has recovered from the global financial crisis and the sovereign debt crisis. Moreover, the region has not recorded a single downgrade in the past eight years (see chart 35).

Two upgrades occurred in 2023: Greece to 'BBB-' from 'BB+' following the continuous improvements on its budgetary position, and Ireland to 'AA' from 'AA-' on strong fiscal performance boosted by solid tax revenue growth.

Chart 35

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Emerging and frontier markets.  Emerging and frontier markets accounted for nine of the 10 2023 downgrades, including the three defaults.

The relative equilibrium between upgrades and downgrades mimics 2022 rating activity and is clearly rosier than 2020-2021, when the region experienced 38 downgrades and only one upgrade (see chart 36).

Chart 36

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The 10th downgrade was Guernsey, which is one of a small number of countries that are not assigned a specific region (see table 25). S&P Global Ratings lowered its rating to 'A+' from 'AA-' owing to fiscal deficits and drawdowns from its financial assets expected to last throughout 2026, as the government pushed ahead with its significant capital spending program.

Table 25

Ratings on other sovereigns, including the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, as of Dec. 31, 2023
Sovereign Foreign currency ratings (long-term/outlook/short-term) Local currency ratings (long-term/outlook/short-term)
U.S. AA+/Stable/A-1+ AA+/Stable/A-1+
U.K. AA/Stable/A-1+ AA/Stable/A-1+
Canada AAA/Stable/A-1+ AAA/Stable/A-1+
Denmark AAA/Stable/A-1+ AAA/Stable/A-1+
Norway AAA/Stable/A-1+ AAA/Stable/A-1+
Sweden AAA/Stable/A-1+ AAA/Stable/A-1+
Switzerland AAA/Stable/A-1+ AAA/Stable/A-1+
Iceland A+/Stable/A-1 A+/Stable/A-1
Liechtenstein AAA/Stable/A-1+ AAA/Stable/A-1+
Andorra BBB+/Positive/A-2 BBB+/Positive/A-2
Guernsey A+/Stable/A-1 A+/Stable/A-1
Jersey AA-/Stable/A-1+ AA-/Stable/A-1+
Falkland Islands (The) A+/Stable/A-1 A+/Stable/A-1
Madagascar B-/Stable/B B-/Stable/B
Note: The sovereign ratings on Isle of Man, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Mali and Seychelles were withdrawn. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Appendix 3: Methodology And Definitions

This study is based on long-term sovereign credit ratings. The methodology tracks rating changes over time and includes revisions to 'SD' (selective default). An 'SD' rating is more common for sovereign issuers than a 'D' (default) rating because defaulting sovereigns often continue to service some of their debt. This study is based on issuer credit ratings as opposed to issue ratings. In other words, we look at the ratings on the central governments themselves, not the ratings on the individual securities these governments might have issued.

Our metrics treat all issuers equally and are not adjusted for size or influence. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, a default by Argentina counts the same as a default by Mali, even though the latter has a much smaller economy. Our study tracks defaults on a sovereign's commercial debt, including both bonds and bank loans.

Withdrawn ratings (as indicated with the abbreviation NR, which stands for "not rated") are included until the date of withdrawal. We record defaults after the date of withdrawal if we obtain knowledge of those defaults.

There are 208 total rating records for sovereigns, including defaulted ratings.

S&P Global Ratings generally defines "default" as the failure to meet a principal or interest payment on the due date contained in the original terms of a debt issue (see "S&P Global Ratings Definitions," June 9, 2023). However, questions can arise when applying this definition to sovereign obligations. We consider a sovereign to be in default under any of the following circumstances:

  • For local currency and foreign currency bonds, notes, and bills issued by the central government and held outside the public sector of the country, a sovereign default occurs when the central government either fails to pay scheduled debt service on the due date or tenders an exchange offer of new debt with less favorable terms than the original issue.
  • For private-sector bank loans incurred by the central government, a sovereign default occurs when the central government either fails to pay scheduled debt service on the due date or negotiates with the bank creditors a rescheduling of principal or interest at less favorable terms than in the original loan.

Emergence from default also can be a complicated analytical issue for sovereigns. Sovereigns often undertake debt restructurings through exchange offers that, we find, rarely close the books on the restructured debt. For a number of reasons, including difficulty in contacting all debtholders and holdouts seeking payment in accordance with original terms, we have observed that participation in sovereign distressed debt exchanges usually does not reach 100%.

In contrast, for debt restructurings in the U.S. and many other jurisdictions, all obligations are typically addressed in bankruptcy reorganization. An entity reorganizing outside of bankruptcy generally must continue payments on the holdouts' debt or face the prospect of an involuntary bankruptcy filing.

Less common among sovereign defaults is the repudiation of debt, which most often follows a revolutionary change of regime (as occurred in Russia in 1917, China in 1949, and Cuba in 1960). S&P Global Ratings takes no position on the propriety of government debt defaults, repudiations, and the like. S&P Global Ratings also does not take a position on the course of negotiations (or the absence thereof) between creditors and the government to work out debt that is repudiated or the parameters of any settlements between creditors and governments that could occur.

Instead, our issuer credit ratings are forward-looking opinions about an obligor's overall creditworthiness. We analyze historical defaults to form our own view on the extent that they could affect the likelihood of the sovereign defaulting in the future.

In general, S&P Global Ratings' sovereign credit ratings apply only to debt that the present government acknowledges as its own. If there is no resolution of a default through the courts or by the parties involved, S&P Global Ratings eventually withdraws the defaulted ratings based on the diminished prospects for resolution and the defaulted ratings' lack of relevance in the context of the market.

For example, S&P Global Ratings has no ratings on direct and guaranteed debt of the government of China issued prior to the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 because S&P Global Ratings first rated China in 1992, long after the new government repudiated pre-1949 debt. The default is included in our sovereign default survey, which covers defaults by rated and unrated issuers.

Our dataset includes sovereign credit ratings that were withdrawn following a default. In those cases, if the sovereign has been rated again, a new record would have been established, and the new rating would not be connected to the defaulted rating. This creates more than one record for defaulted sovereigns.

Static pool methodology

S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights conducts its default studies on the basis of groupings called static pools. For the purposes of this study, we form static pools by grouping issuers by rating category at the beginning of each year, quarter, or month that the database covers. Each static pool is followed from that point forward. All issuers included in the study are assigned to one or more static pools. When an issuer defaults, we assign that default back to all of the static pools to which the issuer belonged.

We use the static pool methodology to avoid certain pitfalls in estimating default rates, such as by ensuring that default rates account for rating migration and can be calculated across multiperiod time horizons. Some methods for calculating default and rating transition rates might charge defaults against only the initial rating on the issuer, ignoring more recent rating changes that supply more current information.

Other methods may calculate default rates using only the most recent year's default and rating data. These methods may yield comparatively low default rates during periods of high rating activity because they ignore prior years' default activity.

The pools are static in the sense that their membership remains constant over time. Each static pool can be interpreted as a buy-and-hold portfolio. Because errors, if any, are corrected by every new update and because the criteria for inclusion or exclusion of sovereigns in the default study are subject to minor revisions as time goes by, it is not possible to compare static pools across different studies. Therefore, every update revises results to the same starting date of Dec. 31, 1975, to avoid continuity problems.

For instance, the 1976 static pool consists of all sovereigns rated as of 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 1976. Adding those sovereigns first rated in 1976 to the surviving members of the 1976 static pool forms the 1977 static pool. All rating changes that took place are reflected in the newly formed 1977 static pool through the ratings on these entities as of 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 1977. We used the same method to form static pools for 1978-2023.

Consider the following example for annual static pools: A sovereign is originally rated 'BB' in mid-1986 and downgraded to 'B' in 1988. This is followed by a default in 1993. We would include this hypothetical issuer in the 1987 and 1988 pools with the 'BB' rating, which was the rating at the beginning of those years. Likewise, it would be included in the 1989-1993 pools with the 'B' rating. Yet each of the seven pools in which this sovereign was included (1987-1993) would record its 1993 default at the appropriate time horizon.

Default rate calculations

Cumulative default rates average the experience of all static pools in a select period of time by calculating marginal weighted average default rates conditional on survival (survivors being non-defaulters) for each possible time horizon and accumulating marginal default rates. We calculate conditional-on-survival default rates by dividing the number of issuers in a static pool that default within a specific time horizon by the number of issuers that survived (did not default) up to that point in time. In the context of sovereign ratings, we treat the defaults of governments that selectively default as complete defaults.

Transition analysis

Transition rates compare issuer credit ratings at the beginning of a period with ratings at the end of the period. To compute one-year rating transition rates by rating category, we compared the rating on each entity at the end of a particular year with the rating at the beginning of the same year. An issuer that remained rated for more than one year was counted as many times as the number of years it was rated.

For instance, an issuer continually rated from the middle of 1984 to the middle of 1991 would appear in the seven consecutive one-year transition matrices from 1985 to 1991. If the rating on the issuer was withdrawn in the middle of 1991, it would be included in the column representing transitions to NR in the 1991 transition matrix. Similarly, if it defaulted in the middle of 1991, it would be included in the column representing transitions to 'D' in the 1991 one-year transition matrix.

All 1975 static pool members still rated on Jan. 1, 2023, had 48 one-year transitions, while sovereigns first rated on Jan. 1, 2023, had only one. Table 26 displays the summary of one-year transitions in the investment-grade and speculative-grade rating categories. Each one-year transition matrix displays all rating movements between letter categories from the beginning of the year through year-end. For each rating listed in the matrix's leftmost column, there are nine ratios listed in the rows, corresponding to the ratings from 'AAA' to 'SD', plus an entry for NR.

The only ratings considered in these calculations are those on entities at the beginning of each static pool and those at the end. All rating changes that occur in between are ignored. For example, if an entity was rated 'A' on Jan. 1, 2015, and was downgraded to 'BBB' in the middle of the year and then upgraded to 'A' later in the year (with no other subsequent rating changes), this entity would be included only in the percentage of issuers that began the year at 'A' that ended the year at 'A'. This also applies to transition matrices that span longer time horizons.

If an issuer defaults, we consider the rating as of Dec. 31 of that particular year to be 'D'. Similarly, if we withdraw our rating on an issuer, the methodology considers the issuer as of Dec. 31 of that year to be not rated.

Multiyear transitions

Multiyear transitions were also calculated for periods of two to 15 years. In this case, we compared the rating at the beginning of the multiyear period with the rating at the end. For example, three-year transition matrices were the result of comparing ratings at the beginning of the years 1975-2020 with the ratings at the end of the years 1978-2023. Otherwise, the methodology was identical to that used for single-year transitions.

We calculated average transition matrices on the basis of the multiyear matrices described. These average matrices are a true summary, the ratios of which represent the historical incidence of the ratings listed in the first column changing to the ones listed in the top row over the course of the multiyear period.

Transition matrices that present averages over multiple time horizons are also calculated as issuer-weighted averages.

For inclusion in the matrix, the issuer must be in at least one year. In the case of the three-year matrix, we must have rated the sovereign by Jan. 1, 2020; in the case of the 15-year matrix, we must have rated it by Jan. 1, 2009. Thus, there are progressively fewer observations the longer the transition period is, given the growth of sovereign ratings and, of course, given that there will be fewer static pools for each added set of 12 monthly cohorts in the matrix.

Annualized 12-month cohorts

In past studies, we have also included calculations of sovereigns' rating performance based on annualized 12-month cohorts. The static pools were created with monthly start dates, and rating transitions were measured over 12-month increments for each monthly static pool. Unless otherwise noted in this study, we've utilized an annual static pool methodology to calculate average transition rates, default rates, and Gini ratios. An annual static pool groups all rated entities as of Jan. 1 of a given year and compares those ratings with those on the entities as of Dec. 31 of the same year (for a one-year horizon).

In contrast, an annualized 12-month static pool approach would compare the ratings on entities as of the beginning of each month with the ratings on those entities 12 months later (for a one-year horizon). Transition and default rates calculated with this type of annualized monthly static pool approach can be found in tables in Appendix 4 (see table 26-43 for transition rates and tables 52-53, 59, and 61-67).

Gini ratios based on this annualized monthly static pool approach diverge somewhat from the Ginis shown in table 3 (which utilizes the annual static pool approach). Annualized monthly static pools yield average Gini ratios for FC ratings of 88.30%, 78.24%, 72.49%, and 68.39% over one-, three-, five-, and 10-year horizons, respectively. For LC ratings, annualized monthly static pools result in average Gini ratios of 85.66%, 72.37%, 67.95%, and 64.29% over one-, three-, five-, and 10-year horizons, respectively.

Rating modifiers

Our calculations of upgrade and downgrade percentages, as well as the magnitude of rating changes, consider the specific rating as opposed to the rating category (for example, 'A-', 'A', and 'A+' rather than the 'A' rating category). However, for practical reasons, some transition tables may use rating categories. This means that actions such as a downgrade to 'AA-' from 'AA' or an upgrade to 'BBB+' from 'BBB-' are not considered transitions because the ratings remained within the same rating category.

Appendix 4: Additional Exhibits

Transition rates

Table 26

Sovereign foreign currency average one-year transition rates (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating one year later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 96.89 3.02 0.01 0.00 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 1.96 94.01 2.91 0.26 0.23 0.03 0.00 0.00 0.59
A 0.00 3.69 91.07 4.60 0.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.31
BBB 0.00 0.00 4.13 91.13 4.09 0.36 0.13 0.15 0.01
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.74 86.93 5.95 0.50 0.42 0.47
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 4.34 87.64 3.60 2.94 1.46
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.64 44.84 31.57 2.95
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 12-month cohort between 1975 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 27

Sovereign foreign currency average three-year transition rates (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating three years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 90.74 8.18 0.08 0.16 0.41 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.42
AA 6.22 83.07 7.63 1.75 0.25 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.09
A 0.00 11.06 73.67 12.51 1.56 0.09 0.26 0.42 0.42
BBB 0.00 0.00 13.23 73.29 10.79 0.96 0.23 1.20 0.30
BB 0.00 0.00 0.19 16.63 65.29 14.03 0.68 2.10 1.08
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.24 10.42 70.56 4.80 10.43 3.55
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.64 25.36 18.46 47.99 7.54
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 36-month cohort between 1975 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 28

Sovereign foreign currency average five-year transition rates (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating five years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 84.94 12.73 0.13 0.82 0.78 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.60
AA 10.85 73.05 12.51 1.90 0.59 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.10
A 0.00 17.92 57.23 19.90 2.70 0.12 0.28 1.41 0.46
BBB 0.00 0.04 20.89 59.43 14.28 2.22 0.31 2.06 0.78
BB 0.00 0.00 1.37 21.62 53.35 16.78 1.09 4.22 1.57
B 0.00 0.00 0.03 2.21 12.69 59.08 4.53 16.46 5.00
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.39 3.71 18.55 10.35 55.27 11.72
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 60-month cohort between 1975 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 29

Sovereign foreign currency average 10-year transition rates (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating 10 years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 72.64 22.62 1.10 1.17 0.46 0.49 0.00 0.00 1.53
AA 21.12 54.37 16.95 5.03 1.88 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.66
A 1.38 23.45 40.07 22.25 5.64 1.50 0.35 4.79 0.58
BBB 0.00 3.91 27.36 41.00 16.55 3.04 0.41 5.13 2.61
BB 0.00 0.00 4.32 30.64 31.46 18.81 1.20 11.17 2.39
B 0.00 0.00 0.04 4.43 19.45 40.94 2.69 26.71 5.73
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.10 2.21 15.19 0.28 63.81 17.40
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 120-month cohort between 1975 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 30

Sovereign foreign currency average 15-year transition rates (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating 15 years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 66.31 28.67 1.78 0.00 0.41 0.72 0.00 0.00 2.10
AA 28.76 40.03 15.29 12.75 2.54 0.26 0.20 0.17 0.00
A 3.18 26.70 38.38 14.89 3.32 4.59 0.51 8.42 0.00
BBB 0.00 8.71 30.44 30.33 13.56 2.87 0.58 8.83 4.69
BB 0.00 0.00 4.07 38.42 23.42 17.77 0.23 15.02 1.07
B 0.00 0.00 0.08 8.75 16.23 35.10 2.42 34.75 2.69
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.00 0.00 6.37 1.12 65.92 23.60
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 180-month cohort between 1975 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 31

Sovereign local currency average one-year transition rates (1993-2023*)
(%) --Rating one year later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 96.23 3.77 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 1.36 92.30 4.97 0.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.68
A 0.00 2.72 90.75 5.81 0.29 0.15 0.00 0.00 0.29
BBB 0.00 0.00 3.94 89.88 5.41 0.47 0.10 0.00 0.21
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.87 85.60 7.59 0.79 0.57 0.57
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.53 88.10 3.98 1.63 1.77
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 26.59 57.11 11.56 4.74
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 12-month cohort between 1993 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 32

Sovereign local currency average five-year transition rates (1993-2023*)
(%) --Rating five years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 81.62 16.47 0.15 1.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.75
AA 5.91 66.53 22.63 3.07 0.56 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.30
A 0.00 13.68 58.61 20.66 4.03 0.51 0.26 1.34 0.90
BBB 0.00 0.00 16.41 57.13 19.27 4.49 0.61 1.26 0.83
BB 0.00 0.00 1.30 19.35 47.59 25.23 1.87 2.66 2.00
B 0.00 0.00 0.17 1.76 14.56 61.58 8.60 6.81 6.52
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.29 2.26 39.01 11.29 26.08 18.07
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 60-month cohort between 1993 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 33

Sovereign local currency average 15-year transition rates (1993-2023*)
(%) --Rating 15 years later--
From/to AAA AA A BBB BB B CCC/CC SD NR
AAA 63.97 27.12 3.94 1.70 0.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.84
AA 2.42 36.02 32.51 20.74 2.90 1.38 1.09 2.94 0.00
A 1.64 20.60 33.79 13.57 9.95 5.85 0.24 9.46 4.91
BBB 0.00 1.95 18.85 45.46 20.50 9.47 0.00 3.71 0.05
BB 0.00 0.00 5.07 23.14 29.07 26.43 4.11 8.88 3.30
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.20 15.41 46.02 6.97 16.02 5.38
CCC/CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.35 14.29 8.16 11.43 33.06 25.71
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 180-month cohort between 1993 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 34

Sovereign foreign currency average one-year transition rates with rating modifier (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating one year later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 96.89 2.62 0.41 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 5.97 85.08 6.12 1.64 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.19
AA 0.00 6.44 85.51 6.30 0.49 0.39 0.10 0.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 0.00 8.40 82.52 7.13 0.15 0.44 0.15 0.00 0.15 0.39 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.59
A+ 0.00 0.00 0.06 11.62 76.22 8.21 1.76 0.97 0.12 0.55 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.43
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.11 12.06 77.92 5.52 1.62 0.74 0.93 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.88 11.23 78.22 6.49 0.39 1.46 0.63 0.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.54
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.01 11.50 72.14 11.22 2.23 0.56 0.22 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.06
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.65 16.26 69.66 10.44 0.87 0.10 0.00 0.44 0.19 0.10 0.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.27 14.06 75.49 6.22 1.94 0.25 0.07 0.14 0.11 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.35 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.67 19.58 68.11 9.21 1.05 0.17 0.06 0.00 0.17 0.33 0.00 0.44 0.22 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.75 14.92 70.81 10.76 1.73 0.65 0.14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.05 0.09 0.09
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 10.63 73.44 11.00 1.07 0.41 0.15 0.11 0.15 0.15 0.81 1.07
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.03 1.02 9.67 70.01 14.38 2.46 0.34 0.18 0.12 0.15 0.58 1.02
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.64 12.71 69.07 9.14 2.07 0.89 0.19 0.16 2.55 2.58
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.05 13.23 68.70 5.76 1.57 0.62 0.43 7.18 0.48
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.64 2.18 22.36 45.64 6.55 2.18 0.00 17.27 2.18
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.84 12.27 0.00 27.61 4.91 4.29 41.72 7.36
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.17 0.00 0.00 4.35 8.70 84.78 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 12-month cohort between 1975 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 35

Sovereign foreign currency average three-year transition rates with rating modifier (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating three years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 90.74 6.10 1.34 0.73 0.00 0.04 0.04 0.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.41 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.42
AA+ 17.74 62.03 13.44 4.41 0.00 0.16 0.00 0.48 0.00 0.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.43
AA 0.73 15.20 63.48 13.95 2.56 1.04 1.04 0.73 0.26 0.68 0.00 0.31 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 3.28 17.71 55.25 13.94 2.05 2.61 0.17 0.83 1.83 0.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.89
A+ 0.00 0.00 4.24 27.21 41.61 15.03 1.67 3.06 2.16 2.09 0.70 1.18 0.00 0.14 0.14 0.00 0.21 0.21 0.00 0.00 0.35 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.76 25.90 45.23 8.92 5.32 3.26 2.97 0.82 0.14 0.10 0.00 0.05 0.00 0.00 0.05 0.00 0.29 0.19 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.52 5.08 22.20 50.93 12.40 2.75 2.28 0.31 1.56 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.05 0.73 1.19
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.29 6.73 16.90 41.07 19.36 11.12 1.44 0.60 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.42 0.06
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.44 3.52 10.95 19.97 38.12 13.53 7.32 1.76 0.99 1.16 0.28 0.06 0.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.21 0.17
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.93 2.94 9.65 23.94 42.00 10.62 5.35 0.97 0.46 0.58 0.15 0.00 0.08 0.00 0.08 1.70 0.54
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.72 2.03 7.78 32.48 30.98 16.03 4.37 1.91 1.44 0.60 0.36 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.32 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.49 1.80 9.28 19.57 37.88 19.82 8.01 0.78 0.63 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.05 1.26 0.44
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.45 4.30 19.89 40.52 14.86 6.41 3.45 0.89 0.08 0.24 0.20 3.33 2.35
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.07 0.55 1.54 3.24 11.67 42.51 23.81 7.78 0.99 1.09 0.48 0.61 3.75 1.91
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.66 0.45 6.84 16.47 37.12 15.92 2.42 1.55 0.31 0.10 11.02 7.15
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.34 0.79 3.38 5.46 26.03 34.93 6.93 0.68 0.11 0.45 20.51 0.39
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.49 0.49 5.90 7.86 20.39 24.08 2.46 1.72 0.00 25.31 11.30
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 13.82 0.81 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 84.55 0.81
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.17 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 97.83 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 36-month cohort between 1975 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 36

Sovereign foreign currency average five-year transition rates with rating modifier (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating five years later --
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 84.94 8.31 2.94 1.48 0.00 0.09 0.04 0.60 0.00 0.22 0.00 0.78 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.60
AA+ 24.57 47.51 18.75 6.66 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.17 0.62 0.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.51
AA 6.09 15.09 47.72 17.03 6.89 2.62 3.19 0.68 0.34 0.00 0.00 0.34 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.45 7.97 20.57 37.02 17.42 4.31 4.95 0.71 1.16 2.06 0.00 1.54 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.86
A+ 0.00 1.90 9.00 32.54 23.06 12.24 1.74 5.29 4.42 5.13 0.87 1.18 0.00 0.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.16 0.00 0.00 2.29 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 1.77 12.61 23.96 29.84 9.42 5.72 4.86 6.89 1.22 1.47 0.10 0.00 0.15 0.00 0.15 0.10 0.00 0.35 1.37 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.88 9.19 21.65 34.00 14.45 5.92 5.70 1.33 1.33 0.39 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.83 1.27
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.14 5.17 7.89 17.54 31.07 18.29 12.98 4.89 0.82 0.48 0.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.48 0.07
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.40 8.65 13.22 19.70 20.14 10.69 9.39 5.06 2.35 1.61 2.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.04 1.67
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.22 4.20 7.23 13.50 20.55 29.77 10.47 4.76 2.42 1.17 0.82 0.48 0.61 0.09 0.00 0.04 3.07 0.61
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.62 3.29 2.48 20.86 22.66 15.77 15.33 8.81 4.16 0.62 1.99 1.06 0.00 0.00 0.06 2.30 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.82 1.90 4.66 12.91 15.57 29.56 18.34 10.66 1.64 0.46 0.00 0.00 0.61 0.10 2.31 0.46
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.72 0.95 4.15 8.84 21.73 23.62 12.58 8.21 6.81 0.45 0.81 0.00 0.14 7.30 3.70
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.08 0.30 0.46 2.84 1.18 2.05 11.53 31.78 23.21 10.81 1.71 0.80 0.19 0.57 9.48 3.03
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.12 0.12 1.06 0.55 1.73 9.89 15.57 24.99 14.03 3.00 1.73 0.28 0.08 17.03 9.81
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.40 0.93 1.39 2.32 6.23 10.53 24.24 20.13 4.64 0.66 0.13 0.40 27.68 0.33
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.61 0.61 0.00 4.91 3.68 6.44 13.50 8.90 6.13 1.23 0.00 35.58 18.40
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.04 0.94 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 83.02 0.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 97.30 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 60-month cohort between 1975 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 37

Sovereign foreign currency average 10-year transition rates with rating modifier (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating 10 years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 72.64 13.08 6.81 2.72 0.74 0.10 0.26 1.00 0.16 0.00 0.00 0.46 0.00 0.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.53
AA+ 31.84 26.43 25.85 10.03 0.20 0.85 0.65 0.78 0.46 1.24 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.69
AA 18.07 21.26 16.51 11.52 19.18 2.53 1.04 1.71 1.86 2.83 0.00 3.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 9.44 8.69 7.65 32.96 11.71 9.73 10.29 1.04 1.89 4.06 2.27 0.28 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A+ 5.90 1.45 17.35 4.89 16.02 10.01 11.35 4.67 11.68 11.01 0.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.34 0.00
A 0.12 1.62 11.03 19.18 13.40 7.86 16.93 6.41 3.35 3.12 0.98 2.77 1.62 3.24 0.17 0.00 0.17 0.23 0.00 0.40 7.39 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 1.03 11.61 12.71 9.92 21.60 10.07 9.63 11.09 6.54 2.28 0.66 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.10 1.69
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 2.34 4.79 2.02 11.81 18.83 17.77 5.64 13.19 8.40 3.83 4.79 0.00 2.23 0.64 1.60 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.02 0.11
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.63 6.10 6.57 9.62 8.91 7.04 16.58 11.26 5.16 5.55 3.67 4.93 0.55 1.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.08 5.47 6.80
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.65 17.81 6.66 13.92 13.92 20.22 11.44 3.89 2.59 0.29 0.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.60 0.83
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.95 2.74 6.62 9.35 8.82 20.53 7.91 8.06 10.57 4.41 3.95 4.79 0.46 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.83 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.63 0.38 0.00 7.66 14.19 14.44 6.21 12.12 17.07 14.94 5.71 0.69 0.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.96 0.56
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 2.37 9.47 6.60 6.73 15.95 8.91 5.79 8.41 6.73 1.00 1.06 0.25 0.25 20.06 6.17
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.11 0.00 0.00 3.53 3.00 2.05 4.16 7.48 19.92 18.70 10.64 1.58 0.74 0.21 0.05 22.18 5.64
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.28 0.64 1.58 3.22 13.35 18.79 13.00 7.85 1.70 1.23 0.00 0.12 27.81 8.43
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.93 1.86 5.92 15.56 13.24 3.95 4.53 16.72 1.51 0.35 0.00 0.35 34.49 0.58
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.61 0.00 3.21 0.00 0.00 2.41 3.21 9.24 0.00 0.00 0.40 0.00 54.62 25.30
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 70.00 0.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 120-month cohort between 1975 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 38

Sovereign foreign currency average 15-year transition rates with rating modifier (1975-2023*)
(%) --Rating 15 years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 66.31 15.67 8.30 4.70 0.82 0.96 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.33 0.08 0.41 0.31 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.10
AA+ 37.63 20.46 20.38 11.15 3.21 0.69 1.83 3.21 1.30 0.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 27.11 11.42 5.52 11.91 16.75 0.97 0.19 6.00 8.52 6.68 2.32 2.03 0.00 0.58 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 14.31 12.12 5.40 16.50 16.93 9.34 3.36 3.50 10.51 1.46 1.02 3.65 0.00 0.00 0.29 0.00 0.44 0.44 0.00 0.00 0.73 0.00
A+ 7.09 5.24 5.39 12.17 7.86 20.03 13.25 4.01 5.55 9.24 4.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.01 0.00
A 3.71 2.29 11.45 12.56 12.56 6.64 20.93 8.69 0.08 2.61 0.32 0.79 0.55 2.84 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 13.98 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 3.68 26.04 19.98 2.88 11.53 6.46 3.78 6.56 2.49 0.70 1.69 7.06 2.09 0.60 1.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.98 0.00
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 3.53 11.72 10.43 10.27 12.68 13.96 10.59 3.05 1.61 0.80 7.70 1.77 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.16 11.72 0.00
BBB 0.00 0.00 7.94 8.19 12.16 6.20 11.54 7.20 6.58 9.18 1.99 7.57 2.98 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.33 13.15
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.21 11.36 14.66 10.67 4.86 21.42 7.72 6.85 1.56 0.09 1.30 4.08 0.52 0.09 0.00 0.61 9.71 1.30
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.90 6.56 0.00 9.74 16.72 22.67 7.59 0.51 6.15 2.26 9.13 1.95 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.82 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.90 10.10 13.80 23.26 3.07 7.84 11.90 12.71 6.94 0.81 0.63 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.03 0.00
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.38 0.00 0.00 11.77 5.74 0.99 8.41 8.21 16.32 8.51 4.95 5.64 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 24.83 3.26
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.19 0.00 0.00 1.91 4.77 4.19 4.86 10.68 3.43 18.11 5.53 9.25 2.10 0.29 0.00 0.00 32.70 2.00
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.89 3.02 3.70 4.19 3.21 11.88 13.83 10.81 2.82 0.00 0.00 0.00 37.88 4.77
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.45 5.65 3.01 10.73 6.97 13.56 10.17 12.99 0.94 0.56 0.00 0.19 32.77 0.00
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.35 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 60.33 34.24
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.30 30.23 2.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 58.14 0.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 180-month cohort between 1975 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 39

Sovereign local currency average one-year transition rates with rating modifier (1993-2023*)
(%) --Rating one year later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 96.23 2.61 1.04 0.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 5.31 82.29 7.60 2.66 0.15 0.00 0.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.77
AA 0.00 2.99 86.45 7.83 0.57 0.57 0.72 0.88 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 0.00 5.96 81.39 10.27 0.20 0.60 0.84 0.00 0.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.60
A+ 0.00 0.00 0.59 7.02 78.94 9.65 2.00 0.93 0.05 0.05 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.10 0.00 0.24 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.34
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.59 10.89 74.71 10.16 2.73 0.68 0.15 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.34 13.59 72.06 10.47 1.06 1.20 0.58 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.53
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.87 9.31 73.02 11.29 3.28 1.11 0.53 0.14 0.00 0.19 0.19 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.05
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.96 11.34 71.39 13.56 1.14 0.60 0.18 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.06 0.00 0.60
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.05 1.80 10.82 74.35 9.07 2.29 0.54 0.54 0.15 0.15 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.05
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.06 1.14 13.38 69.61 11.04 3.36 0.00 0.51 0.00 0.11 0.23 0.00 0.40 0.17 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.54 15.26 64.65 12.57 2.15 1.41 0.87 0.40 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.21 0.94
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.10 8.44 72.66 12.29 2.52 0.64 0.32 0.55 0.00 0.23 0.46 0.78
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.26 1.31 9.60 70.33 14.20 2.43 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.15 0.45 1.23
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.14 1.13 10.66 70.46 10.18 2.25 0.82 0.00 0.17 1.02 3.18
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.58 2.06 12.24 70.76 7.25 1.58 0.14 0.91 3.98 0.48
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20 3.14 27.84 48.63 6.67 3.14 1.37 6.67 2.35
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.69 22.47 1.12 32.02 12.36 3.93 17.42 8.99
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.18 14.12 0.00 54.12 2.35 14.12 14.12
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 13.04 16.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 44.57 25.00 1.09
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 12-month cohort between 1993 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 40

Sovereign local currency average three-year transition rates with rating modifier (1993-2023*)
(%) --Rating three years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 88.39 7.11 3.09 0.61 0.00 0.05 0.03 0.19 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.52
AA+ 15.13 56.29 9.53 11.93 0.24 1.28 1.12 1.84 0.00 0.48 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.16
AA 0.79 3.81 71.28 15.26 2.75 1.40 2.02 0.95 1.01 0.73 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 1.84 13.02 51.79 21.56 3.41 3.97 1.51 0.22 0.78 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.90
A+ 0.00 0.00 1.97 21.16 45.72 17.76 5.92 2.85 1.59 0.05 0.38 0.93 0.00 0.00 0.11 0.93 0.16 0.16 0.00 0.00 0.27 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.31 20.09 45.11 15.12 9.79 4.56 1.28 0.87 0.15 0.10 0.00 0.05 0.00 0.00 0.05 0.00 0.31 0.21 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.51 8.82 23.21 38.98 15.46 3.55 4.00 0.30 2.58 0.30 0.00 0.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.05 0.71 1.22
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.21 5.24 16.07 39.53 14.84 12.53 5.90 1.03 0.51 0.00 0.62 0.82 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.10 0.36 0.15
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.42 4.44 18.93 41.75 18.52 10.47 1.80 0.83 0.14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.07 0.21 2.43
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.11 4.90 19.48 45.08 13.13 5.29 4.06 1.00 2.62 0.61 0.33 0.00 0.00 0.06 1.34 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.97 3.16 8.56 16.70 39.47 18.28 8.50 1.21 1.46 0.61 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.09 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.18 2.65 8.01 19.76 24.03 19.47 10.29 1.69 7.94 1.25 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.69 2.06
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.76 2.63 3.04 13.26 42.36 18.27 9.67 3.54 1.01 1.01 0.00 0.46 2.02 1.97
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.34 1.56 2.61 12.30 45.87 23.21 6.91 1.22 0.67 0.00 0.13 1.60 3.33
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.22 0.93 1.94 6.67 14.00 39.29 16.95 3.80 2.68 0.93 0.34 3.95 8.31
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.29 0.40 2.54 2.54 3.47 23.60 43.20 9.25 0.69 0.58 2.89 10.12 0.40
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.30 0.52 0.52 4.95 15.63 30.73 20.31 2.60 1.56 0.00 9.90 11.98
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.54 0.00 3.85 1.54 16.92 13.85 5.38 0.00 22.31 2.31 31.54 0.77
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.89 0.00 0.00 7.55 0.00 26.42 0.00 11.32 52.83
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.98 16.98 11.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.75 33.96 0.00
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 36-month cohort between 1993 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 41

Sovereign local currency average five-year transition rates with rating modifier (1993-2023*)
(%) --Rating five years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 81.62 10.64 4.69 1.15 0.00 0.11 0.04 0.75 0.00 0.27 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.75
AA+ 18.33 42.87 8.68 17.09 1.51 2.92 1.24 1.77 2.21 0.97 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.39
AA 2.46 2.58 58.89 16.86 9.85 2.83 4.43 0.74 0.37 0.98 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.45 3.24 16.12 33.20 25.37 7.77 7.70 1.75 0.00 0.97 0.00 1.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.88
A+ 0.00 0.00 5.90 27.61 28.38 15.74 7.99 6.14 2.98 1.49 0.00 0.89 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.01 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.00 1.73 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.78 5.92 13.73 33.82 16.35 9.60 7.31 5.80 1.34 2.12 0.45 0.00 0.39 0.00 0.17 0.11 0.00 0.39 1.51 0.22
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.40 15.62 20.36 23.41 14.81 6.31 6.70 3.48 2.01 1.52 0.05 0.00 0.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.82 2.40
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.91 9.79 14.99 22.18 12.50 15.93 9.57 2.38 1.38 0.44 2.21 0.94 0.00 0.11 0.00 0.11 0.39 0.17
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.66 6.97 21.74 29.13 11.95 13.20 5.23 4.65 2.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 2.07
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.13 2.54 1.40 4.44 18.79 37.02 12.76 4.70 5.71 2.86 1.84 2.60 0.63 0.76 0.00 0.13 3.05 0.63
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.42 5.16 14.58 13.30 30.49 14.13 11.71 2.16 0.70 2.04 1.02 0.83 0.00 0.13 1.34 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.29 4.29 7.85 9.95 15.13 11.97 12.62 17.15 2.91 12.38 0.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.86 2.27
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.29 0.75 1.84 2.47 3.22 12.99 29.08 18.68 11.61 8.16 1.26 1.32 0.00 0.29 4.43 3.62
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.33 0.00 0.48 1.38 1.47 4.23 10.31 33.46 26.52 10.41 1.52 0.90 1.28 0.19 2.61 4.90
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.13 0.13 0.86 1.07 0.73 3.22 11.13 13.80 24.42 18.06 4.73 2.36 0.99 0.00 6.58 11.78
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.42 0.35 0.35 2.17 4.41 4.97 6.51 24.49 26.24 10.29 1.19 0.63 4.27 13.37 0.35
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.58 0.63 0.63 0.00 2.52 4.42 17.67 18.93 5.99 3.15 1.89 0.32 23.34 18.93
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.88 7.08 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.77 31.86 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.81 0.00 32.74 8.85
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 90.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.41 43.24 10.81 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 40.54 0.00
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 60-month cohort between 1993 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 42

Sovereign local currency average 10-year transition rates with rating modifier (1993-2023*)
(%) --Rating 10 years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 72.53 13.87 5.42 2.95 1.34 0.13 0.33 1.28 0.21 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.95
AA+ 8.64 18.65 23.78 9.14 9.76 8.51 1.25 5.01 3.38 8.64 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.25
AA 3.19 3.69 32.91 14.69 24.35 5.79 4.62 2.02 2.10 3.19 0.00 3.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 5.85 1.98 9.08 36.06 16.91 5.13 11.06 1.80 1.53 5.31 3.96 0.45 0.00 0.00 0.18 0.00 0.27 0.27 0.00 0.00 0.18 0.00
A+ 0.15 2.08 19.81 13.65 10.91 11.35 11.35 8.23 8.23 3.71 4.30 0.82 0.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.75 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 3.60 6.64 7.99 19.22 17.67 6.22 5.80 4.95 0.85 7.49 2.40 3.96 0.35 0.00 0.00 0.07 0.00 0.49 7.77 4.52
A- 0.00 0.00 1.07 5.67 3.29 17.15 20.60 14.32 6.97 9.80 7.73 2.45 2.22 0.08 1.61 0.46 0.46 0.69 0.00 0.15 1.91 3.37
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 1.15 4.31 14.01 10.99 6.32 3.45 12.57 14.08 16.24 6.25 5.82 1.15 0.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.07 1.65 1.72
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.21 5.64 0.00 12.31 16.23 30.15 4.95 0.92 6.33 11.28 3.11 0.58 0.35 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.35 1.61
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.02 4.89 2.04 7.23 18.53 30.04 3.87 1.83 5.40 1.63 6.01 7.54 0.31 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.67 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.34 0.47 3.69 13.75 13.35 9.74 13.43 13.20 13.51 6.68 4.01 2.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.63 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.06 0.64 2.13 5.32 12.45 4.15 12.02 1.17 14.04 13.09 14.68 9.36 2.34 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.57 2.98
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.58 6.23 0.18 5.61 7.72 8.51 16.58 15.79 10.35 2.46 1.93 4.30 0.61 11.14 7.02
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.51 1.97 0.80 2.26 3.21 7.30 25.40 17.66 20.95 3.36 0.73 1.97 0.15 2.70 11.02
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.40 2.40 2.74 0.94 3.41 18.10 15.56 12.02 12.76 3.74 1.14 0.00 3.61 12.36 10.82
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.53 0.84 5.16 9.48 15.48 4.74 0.56 8.37 19.11 3.21 2.65 0.00 0.70 26.78 1.39
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.16 1.72 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.59 3.45 23.71 0.00 0.00 0.43 1.29 37.50 27.16
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.00 0.00 2.67 0.00 1.33 21.33 2.67 22.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 37.33 0.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69 0.00 0.00 3.85 57.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.77 0.00
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 120-month cohort between 1993 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 43

Sovereign local currency average 15-year transition rates with rating modifier (1993-2023*)
(%) --Rating 15 years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 63.97 15.95 8.19 2.98 2.02 1.57 0.35 1.25 0.00 0.45 0.00 0.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.84
AA+ 0.18 6.03 22.70 6.56 10.99 16.13 6.74 12.59 4.96 9.22 1.24 0.35 0.00 0.00 0.35 0.00 0.53 0.53 0.00 0.00 0.89 0.00
AA 1.93 6.74 13.36 16.25 23.59 4.57 6.74 1.81 10.59 7.46 2.89 2.53 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.56 0.00
AA- 4.78 9.41 10.39 16.43 21.77 2.53 4.35 7.30 9.69 0.00 0.00 0.98 0.00 0.00 2.95 0.84 0.84 1.26 0.00 0.28 6.18 0.00
A+ 4.71 2.91 21.97 11.23 3.01 9.03 13.44 9.43 3.01 6.42 5.32 4.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.42 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 4.35 8.91 9.86 9.33 14.74 4.77 2.55 2.01 3.82 4.03 1.91 8.06 0.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.41 12.83
A- 0.00 0.00 1.50 9.96 11.56 15.20 15.74 5.35 3.96 2.89 6.10 2.57 2.03 4.50 1.07 3.85 0.64 0.00 0.00 0.11 10.81 2.14
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 2.79 1.18 6.55 16.52 11.48 5.58 16.42 18.24 5.36 8.05 5.15 1.39 0.00 1.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.11
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.19 2.13 1.74 7.17 16.67 43.41 9.30 1.55 2.13 12.79 0.58 2.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.37 0.37 0.00 5.67 5.48 2.74 25.59 4.94 3.29 22.67 3.47 11.33 0.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 13.53 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 11.74 8.84 13.13 12.50 4.42 15.40 9.97 4.42 7.07 2.27 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.23 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.76 4.68 12.39 2.11 2.42 14.95 14.05 9.97 10.57 16.62 2.27 1.96 0.00 0.60 3.17 3.47
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.39 6.58 1.35 2.90 11.99 7.93 5.03 11.99 9.86 10.25 4.26 0.58 4.26 0.39 14.12 8.12
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.49 4.41 5.39 2.45 7.68 2.94 27.29 12.25 14.38 1.14 0.00 0.98 0.00 13.40 7.19
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.58 5.45 1.61 3.97 4.46 11.15 15.74 22.43 3.97 0.50 1.49 0.87 17.10 6.69
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.96 6.44 15.59 9.16 4.95 14.85 0.99 11.63 0.74 0.74 3.22 9.90 17.82 0.00
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.99 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.80 4.79 1.20 0.00 10.78 40.72 37.72
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 17.24 1.72 0.00 29.31 3.45 0.00 6.90 22.41 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 18.97 0.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.53 0.00 0.00 0.00 84.21 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.26 0.00
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Average transitions over each 180 month cohort between 1993 and 2023 annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 44

Sovereign foreign currency ratings one-year most recent transition matrix (2023)
(%) --Rating one year later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 0.00 22.22 66.67 11.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33 66.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 80.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 80.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 14.29 14.29 71.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 75.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 75.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 16.67 75.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 9.09 54.55 18.18 9.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 91.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 0.00
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 14.29 42.86 14.29 14.29 0.00 14.29 0.00
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 45

Sovereign foreign currency ratings three-year most recent transition matrix (2021-2023)
(%) --Rating three years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 16.67 83.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 8.33 25.00 50.00 16.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 85.71 14.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 66.67 33.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 80.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 66.67 33.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33 55.56 11.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69 7.69 61.54 15.38 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33 0.00 66.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33 66.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 0.00 27.27 45.45 18.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69 0.00 7.69 53.85 23.08 0.00 7.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 8.33 8.33 16.67 25.00 8.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 0.00
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 54.55 9.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 27.27 0.00
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 42.86 14.29 0.00 14.29 0.00 28.57 0.00
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 46

Sovereign foreign currency ratings 10-year most recent transition matrix (2014-2023)
(%) --Rating 10 years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 76.92 15.38 7.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 20.00 40.00 0.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00
AA 0.00 16.67 66.67 0.00 16.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 10.00 10.00 30.00 30.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A+ 0.00 0.00 33.33 33.33 33.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67 0.00 0.00 33.33 33.33 0.00 16.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 11.11 0.00 11.11 0.00 11.11 11.11 44.44 11.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.00 0.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 0.00
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 12.50 0.00 25.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 12.50 12.50 6.25 12.50 12.50 6.25 0.00 0.00 0.00 18.75 6.25
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 20.00 10.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 40.00 0.00
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 33.33 0.00 8.33 8.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 16.67
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 9.09 0.00 0.00 9.09 0.00 0.00 18.18 9.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 45.45 0.00
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 47  |  View Expanded Table

Sovereign foreign currency ratings original-to-last transition matrix
(%)
From/to Total AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC D
AAA 20 50.00 20.00 10.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00
AA+ 3 0.00 0.00 33.33 33.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 5 20.00 20.00 20.00 0.00 20.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 4 0.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00
A+ 6 0.00 16.67 33.33 0.00 33.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 9 0.00 0.00 0.00 11.11 22.22 11.11 22.22 22.22 0.00 11.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 8 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50
BBB+ 2 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB 8 0.00 0.00 12.50 12.50 25.00 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50
BBB- 11 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 9.09 0.00 0.00 9.09 0.00 27.27 18.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09
BB+ 6 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33 33.33 16.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67
BB 10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 10.00 10.00 30.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00
BB- 19 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.26 0.00 0.00 5.26 0.00 10.53 5.26 0.00 15.79 5.26 0.00 5.26 5.26 0.00 0.00 0.00 26.32
B+ 25 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.00 4.00 8.00 20.00 8.00 16.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 28.00
B 22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.55 0.00 0.00 13.64 0.00 4.55 9.09 4.55 4.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 40.91
B- 24 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.17 0.00 4.17 0.00 4.17 0.00 4.17 0.00 25.00 4.17 0.00 0.00 0.00 54.17
CCC+ 16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.25 0.00 0.00 12.50 18.75 6.25 6.25 0.00 31.25
CCC 3 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00
CCC- 1 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00
CC 2 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00
Note: Original to last transition rates compare the issuer's rating from the time of first rating to the last rating, regardless of the time elapsed in the interim. Implied senior debt ratings through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 48  |  View Expanded Table

Sovereign local currency ratings one-year most recent transition matrix (2023)
(%) --Rating one year later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD
AAA 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 0.00 25.00 62.50 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 75.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 75.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 75.00 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67 16.67 66.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67 83.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67 83.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 16.67 75.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 9.09 54.55 18.18 9.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 84.62 7.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67 66.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 49

Sovereign local currency ratings three-year most recent transition matrix (2021-2023)
(%) --Rating three years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 20.00 80.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 8.33 25.00 41.67 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 40.00 60.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 60.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 80.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.00 40.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 9.09 72.73 9.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33 0.00 66.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 80.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 20.00 40.00 20.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 0.00 8.33 58.33 16.67 0.00 8.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 8.33 8.33 16.67 25.00 16.67 8.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 50.00 16.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 0.00
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 66.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33 0.00
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 50.00 0.00
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 50

Sovereign local currency ratings 10-year most recent transition matrix (2014-2023)
(%) --Rating 10 years later--
From/to AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC SD NR
AAA 76.92 15.38 7.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 28.57 28.57 0.00 14.29 14.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 14.29
AA 0.00 0.00 83.33 0.00 16.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 11.11 22.22 22.22 33.33 11.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 14.29 28.57 14.29 14.29 0.00 14.29 14.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 0.00 0.00 12.50 37.50 0.00 12.50 0.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 12.50 0.00 12.50 0.00 12.50 0.00 25.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 14.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 42.86 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 28.57 14.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 12.50 0.00 25.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33 0.00 33.33 0.00 0.00 33.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 12.50 12.50 6.25 12.50 12.50 6.25 0.00 0.00 0.00 18.75 6.25
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 20.00 10.00 30.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 0.00
B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 33.33 0.00 8.33 16.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67 16.67
B- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 9.09 0.00 0.00 9.09 0.00 0.00 27.27 18.18 0.00 0.00 9.09 0.00 18.18
CCC+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00
CCC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
CCC- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
CC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 51  |  View Expanded Table

Sovereign local currency ratings original-to-last transition matrix
(%)
From/to Total AAA AA+ AA AA- A+ A A- BBB+ BBB BBB- BB+ BB BB- B+ B B- CCC+ CCC CCC- CC D
AAA 25 48.00 12.00 16.00 0.00 8.00 4.00 0.00 4.00 4.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 6 0.00 16.67 0.00 16.67 16.67 16.67 16.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67
AA 7 0.00 0.00 42.86 14.29 28.57 0.00 14.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 6 0.00 0.00 16.67 33.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67
A+ 9 0.00 11.11 0.00 0.00 33.33 11.11 0.00 11.11 22.22 11.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 5 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 0.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 11 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 9.09 9.09 0.00 9.09 9.09 18.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 0.00 9.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09
BBB+ 8 0.00 0.00 12.50 0.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 0.00 25.00 0.00 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50
BBB 4 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB- 8 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 0.00 50.00 0.00 12.50 0.00 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50
BB+ 8 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 25.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB 10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 10.00 0.00 10.00 10.00 20.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 10.00
BB- 8 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 37.50 0.00 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00
B+ 22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.55 9.09 9.09 18.18 9.09 18.18 4.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09
B 19 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.26 0.00 0.00 5.26 0.00 5.26 10.53 5.26 15.79 5.26 0.00 0.00 26.32
B- 12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 0.00 41.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33
CCC+ 12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 0.00 0.00 8.33 33.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 33.33
CCC 4 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00
CCC- 4 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 75.00
CC 1 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00
Note: Original-to-last transition rates compare the issuer's rating from the time of first rating to the last rating, regardless of the time elapsed in the interim. Implied senior debt ratings through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.
Cumulative default rates

Table 52

Sovereign foreign currency cumulative average default rates* without rating modifiers (1975-2023)
(%) --Time horizon (years)--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.16
A 0.00 0.02 0.42 0.86 1.33 1.82 2.33 2.87 3.43 4.03 4.65 5.30 5.73 6.16 6.79
BBB 0.15 0.73 1.34 1.96 2.42 2.88 3.28 3.73 4.28 4.87 5.52 6.22 7.28 8.45 9.35
BB 0.42 1.32 2.02 2.60 3.95 5.44 7.02 8.50 9.78 10.63 11.41 12.23 12.87 13.38 13.76
B 2.97 6.84 10.95 15.04 18.42 21.62 24.76 27.70 30.43 33.01 35.14 37.23 39.49 41.91 44.51
CCC/CC 31.29 40.33 44.65 46.30 50.34 56.90 61.65 63.67 63.67 64.74 67.62 69.17 69.78 69.78 69.78
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Horizons consist of monthly cohorts for specified periods annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 53

Sovereign local currency cumulative average default rates* without rating modifiers (1993-2023)
(%) --Time horizon (years)--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.06 0.47 0.91 1.39 1.90 2.45
A 0.00 0.02 0.39 0.82 1.26 1.73 2.22 2.74 3.29 4.06 4.67 5.32 6.01 6.75 7.52
BBB 0.00 0.36 0.62 0.86 1.11 1.38 1.94 2.29 2.62 2.68 2.68 2.68 2.68 2.68 2.68
BB 0.57 1.17 1.52 1.85 2.37 3.14 3.89 4.81 5.68 6.38 7.13 8.13 9.48 10.27 10.98
B 1.65 3.36 5.17 6.91 8.47 9.90 11.36 12.93 14.63 16.33 17.73 19.06 20.33 22.45 24.60
CCC/CC 12.30 17.43 20.91 23.12 29.06 36.01 38.65 40.50 40.50 41.62 44.51 44.51 44.51 44.51 44.51
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Horizons consist of monthly cohorts for specified periods annualized. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 54

Foreign currency 'A' static pools and default rates (1992-2023*) (%)
--Time horizon (years)--
Dates # of issuers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1/1/1992 6 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/1993 6 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/1994 5 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/1995 6 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/1996 8 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/1997 9 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/1998 9 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/1999 9 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 11.11
1/1/2000 11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.09 18.18 18.18
1/1/2001 12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.33 16.67 16.67 16.67
1/1/2002 14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.14 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29
1/1/2003 17 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.88 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76
1/1/2004 20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 15.00
1/1/2005 21 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.76 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52
1/1/2006 22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.55 9.09 9.09 9.09 9.09 9.09 9.09 9.09 9.09
1/1/2007 23 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.35 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70
1/1/2008 21 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.76 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52
1/1/2009 21 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.76 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52
1/1/2010 21 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76
1/1/2011 21 0.00 0.00 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76 4.76
1/1/2012 15 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2013 14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2014 13 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2015 16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2016 18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2017 18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2018 19 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2019 20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2020 17 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2021 15 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2022 17 0.00 0.00
1/1/2023 17 0.00
Cumulative default rate§ 0.00 0.00 0.22 0.66 1.13 1.61 2.12 2.66 3.23 3.82 4.43 5.08 5.76 6.13 6.92
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. §From the rating category row in table 17. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 55

Foreign currency 'BBB' static pools and default rates (1992-2023*) (%)
--Time horizon (years)--
Dates # of issuers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1/1/1992 2 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/1993 6 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67 16.67 16.67 16.67 16.67 16.67 16.67 16.67 16.67
1/1/1994 8 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50
1/1/1995 7 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29
1/1/1996 4 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00
1/1/1997 9 0.00 0.00 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11
1/1/1998 16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 12.50
1/1/1999 16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 12.50 12.50
1/1/2000 16 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25
1/1/2001 16 0.00 0.00 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25
1/1/2002 16 0.00 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25
1/1/2003 13 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2004 12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2005 13 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69 7.69
1/1/2006 13 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69 7.69 7.69
1/1/2007 13 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69 7.69 7.69 7.69
1/1/2008 14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.14 7.14 7.14 7.14 14.29
1/1/2009 17 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 11.76 11.76
1/1/2010 19 0.00 0.00 5.26 5.26 5.26 5.26 5.26 5.26 10.53 10.53 10.53 10.53 15.79 15.79
1/1/2011 20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 10.00 10.00
1/1/2012 25 0.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 12.00 12.00
1/1/2013 24 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.17 4.17
1/1/2014 27 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.70 3.70
1/1/2015 26 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.85 3.85
1/1/2016 25 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2017 23 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2018 25 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2019 25 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.00 4.00
1/1/2020 28 0.00 0.00 3.57 3.57
1/1/2021 28 0.00 3.57 3.57
1/1/2022 26 3.85 3.85
1/1/2023 25 0.00
Cumulative default rate§ 0.18 0.73 1.51 2.13 2.57 3.03 3.52 4.04 4.59 5.20 5.85 6.57 7.34 8.61 9.52
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. §From the rating category row in table 17. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 56

Foreign currency 'BB' static pools and default rates (1992-2023*) (%)
--Time horizon (years)--
Dates # of issuers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1/1/1992 2 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 50.00
1/1/1993 4 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 25.00
1/1/1994 6 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.67 16.67 16.67 16.67 33.33 33.33 33.33 33.33
1/1/1995 8 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.50 12.50 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00
1/1/1996 10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 10.00 30.00 30.00 30.00 30.00 30.00 30.00 30.00 30.00
1/1/1997 13 0.00 0.00 7.69 7.69 15.38 15.38 30.77 30.77 30.77 30.77 30.77 30.77 30.77 30.77 30.77
1/1/1998 18 0.00 11.11 11.11 16.67 16.67 22.22 22.22 22.22 22.22 22.22 22.22 22.22 22.22 22.22 22.22
1/1/1999 18 0.00 0.00 5.56 5.56 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11 11.11
1/1/2000 15 0.00 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67 6.67
1/1/2001 14 7.14 7.14 7.14 7.14 7.14 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29
1/1/2002 16 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.25 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50
1/1/2003 17 0.00 5.88 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76 11.76 17.65
1/1/2004 17 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 11.76 11.76
1/1/2005 19 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.26 5.26 5.26
1/1/2006 20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 5.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00
1/1/2007 22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.55 4.55 13.64 13.64 13.64 13.64 13.64
1/1/2008 23 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.35 4.35 13.04 13.04 13.04 13.04 13.04 13.04
1/1/2009 23 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70
1/1/2010 23 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70 8.70
1/1/2011 23 0.00 4.35 4.35 4.35 4.35 4.35 13.04 13.04 13.04 13.04 13.04 13.04 13.04
1/1/2012 22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.55 4.55 4.55 9.09 9.09 9.09 9.09
1/1/2013 26 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.85 7.69 7.69 11.54 11.54 11.54 11.54
1/1/2014 24 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.17 8.33 8.33 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50
1/1/2015 20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
1/1/2016 21 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.76 4.76 9.52 9.52
1/1/2017 23 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.35 4.35
1/1/2018 20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 5.00
1/1/2019 17 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2020 18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2021 17 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2022 18 0.00 0.00
1/1/2023 19 0.00
Cumulative default rate§ 0.36 1.28 1.85 2.44 3.87 5.36 6.91 8.55 9.77 10.55 11.10 11.70 12.34 13.02 13.40
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. §From the rating category row in table 17. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 57

Foreign currency 'B' static pools and default rates (1995-2023*) (%)
--Time horizon (years)--
Dates # of issuers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1/1/1995 4 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00
1/1/1996 5 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 40.00 40.00 40.00 40.00 40.00 40.00
1/1/1997 4 0.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00
1/1/1998 5 0.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00
1/1/1999 7 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 28.57 28.57 28.57 28.57 28.57 28.57 28.57 28.57 28.57
1/1/2000 14 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.14 7.14 21.43 21.43 21.43 21.43 21.43 28.57 28.57 28.57 28.57 28.57
1/1/2001 19 0.00 5.26 10.53 10.53 21.05 21.05 21.05 26.32 26.32 31.58 31.58 31.58 31.58 31.58 31.58
1/1/2002 15 0.00 6.67 6.67 13.33 13.33 13.33 13.33 13.33 20.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 20.00 26.67 26.67
1/1/2003 16 12.50 12.50 12.50 18.75 18.75 18.75 18.75 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 31.25 31.25 31.25
1/1/2004 19 0.00 5.26 10.53 10.53 10.53 10.53 15.79 15.79 15.79 15.79 15.79 21.05 21.05 21.05 21.05
1/1/2005 21 4.76 9.52 9.52 9.52 9.52 14.29 14.29 19.05 19.05 19.05 23.81 28.57 28.57 28.57 28.57
1/1/2006 23 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.35 4.35 13.04 13.04 17.39 17.39 21.74 26.09 26.09 26.09 34.78
1/1/2007 25 0.00 4.00 4.00 8.00 8.00 16.00 16.00 20.00 20.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 32.00 32.00
1/1/2008 29 6.90 6.90 10.34 10.34 20.69 20.69 24.14 24.14 27.59 27.59 27.59 27.59 34.48 34.48 44.83
1/1/2009 29 0.00 3.45 3.45 10.34 10.34 13.79 17.24 20.69 20.69 20.69 20.69 27.59 27.59 37.93 41.38
1/1/2010 28 0.00 0.00 7.14 7.14 10.71 10.71 14.29 14.29 14.29 14.29 21.43 21.43 32.14 35.71
1/1/2011 33 0.00 6.06 9.09 12.12 15.15 18.18 18.18 18.18 18.18 27.27 27.27 36.36 39.39
1/1/2012 33 6.06 9.09 12.12 15.15 18.18 21.21 21.21 21.21 30.30 30.30 39.39 42.42
1/1/2013 31 3.23 6.45 9.68 12.90 16.13 16.13 16.13 25.81 25.81 35.48 38.71
1/1/2014 33 0.00 3.03 9.09 15.15 15.15 15.15 24.24 24.24 33.33 36.36
1/1/2015 35 0.00 5.71 11.43 14.29 14.29 22.86 22.86 31.43 37.14
1/1/2016 39 5.13 10.26 12.82 12.82 20.51 20.51 30.77 35.90
1/1/2017 39 5.13 7.69 10.26 20.51 20.51 30.77 35.90
1/1/2018 36 0.00 2.78 16.67 16.67 27.78 33.33
1/1/2019 41 2.44 14.63 14.63 24.39 31.71
1/1/2020 39 7.69 7.69 17.95 25.64
1/1/2021 36 0.00 8.33 16.67
1/1/2022 39 7.69 12.82
1/1/2023 35 2.86
Cumulative default rate§ 2.72 6.73 10.81 14.62 18.15 21.18 24.39 27.40 30.00 32.31 34.81 37.24 39.29 41.56 44.09
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. §From the rating category row in table 17. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 58

Foreign currency 'CCC'/'CC' static pools and default rates (1999-2023*) (%)
--Time horizon (years)--
Dates # of issuers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1/1/1999 4 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00
1/1/2000 2 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00
1/1/2001 1 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2002 3 33.33 33.33 33.33 33.33 33.33 33.33 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67
1/1/2003 4 0.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00
1/1/2004 2 0.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
1/1/2005 3 33.33 33.33 33.33 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67
1/1/2006 3 33.33 33.33 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67
1/1/2007 1 0.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
1/1/2008 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2009 1 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2010 3 33.33 33.33 33.33 33.33 33.33 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 66.67 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
1/1/2011 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2012 1 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
1/1/2013 2 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
1/1/2014 1 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
1/1/2015 2 50.00 50.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
1/1/2016 2 0.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00
1/1/2017 3 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
1/1/2018 4 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 50.00
1/1/2019 1 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
1/1/2020 5 60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00
1/1/2021 8 12.50 25.00 25.00
1/1/2022 8 12.50 25.00
1/1/2023 8 25.00
Cumulative default rate§ 33.33 41.27 46.95 49.36 52.03 60.49 63.79 63.79 63.79 63.79 67.41 67.41 67.41 67.41 67.41
*Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. §From the rating category row in table 17. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 59

Sovereign foreign currency cumulative average default rate* with rating modifiers (1975-2023)
(%) --Time horizon (annualized months)--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.72
A+ 0.00 0.00 0.34 1.21 2.13 2.29 2.29 3.17 4.01 4.01 4.01 4.01 4.01 4.82 5.83
A 0.00 0.00 0.19 0.72 1.32 2.46 3.72 4.53 5.41 6.78 8.14 8.88 9.67 10.09 10.09
A- 0.00 0.05 0.71 0.77 0.77 0.77 0.77 0.77 0.77 0.77 0.84 1.81 2.06 2.25 3.41
BBB+ 0.00 0.29 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.41 1.63 2.98 4.47 6.10 8.74 10.63
BBB 0.00 0.51 1.15 1.77 1.77 1.77 1.77 2.05 3.77 4.68 5.68 6.79 8.91 9.64 9.64
BBB- 0.35 1.18 2.08 3.08 4.16 5.22 6.15 6.99 6.99 6.99 6.99 6.99 6.99 7.70 8.72
BB+ 0.22 1.29 1.29 1.29 2.22 3.73 5.30 6.40 8.12 9.23 10.15 11.11 12.12 13.18 14.33
BB 0.09 0.66 1.24 1.83 2.18 2.70 3.40 4.03 4.03 4.03 4.16 4.98 5.87 6.35 6.35
BB- 0.81 1.87 3.14 4.11 6.63 8.98 11.38 13.99 16.15 17.62 18.99 19.68 19.68 19.68 19.68
B+ 0.58 1.97 3.54 6.23 8.62 11.74 15.14 18.62 20.43 22.63 24.70 26.53 28.58 31.52 35.67
B 2.51 6.22 11.39 16.31 20.35 22.93 25.67 28.48 31.87 35.23 37.53 40.70 43.87 46.08 47.02
B- 7.30 15.28 21.81 26.87 30.82 35.19 38.59 40.90 44.05 45.95 47.95 48.68 49.76 51.70 54.65
CCC+ 17.00 20.49 24.61 27.01 32.95 42.65 49.75 52.78 52.78 54.39 58.76 61.13 62.08 62.08 62.08
CCC 44.53 72.12 79.94 79.94 79.94 79.94 79.94 79.94 79.94 79.94 79.94 79.94 79.94 79.94 79.94
CCC- 80.21 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17 97.17
CC 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Investment grade 0.04 0.19 0.44 0.69 0.91 1.13 1.34 1.56 1.81 2.07 2.35 2.64 2.94 3.26 3.61
Speculative grade 3.42 6.29 8.95 11.41 13.91 16.44 18.91 21.14 23.09 24.80 26.32 27.78 29.20 30.60 32.01
All rated 1.33 2.51 3.66 4.74 5.80 6.88 7.91 8.87 9.73 10.50 11.21 11.90 12.58 13.26 13.94
*Default rates conditional on survival. Horizons consist of monthly cohorts for specified periods annualized. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 60  |  View Expanded Table

Sovereign foreign currency cumulative average default rate* with rating modifiers (1975-2023)
(%) --Time horizon (months)--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30
BBB- 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.07 0.10 0.14 0.17 0.21 0.24 0.28 0.31 0.35 0.38 0.42 0.45 0.56 0.67 0.74 0.81 0.89
BB+ 0.00 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.11 0.22 0.39 0.55 0.78 0.89 1.00 1.06 1.12 1.18
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.05 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.14 0.19 0.23 0.28 0.33 0.38 0.42 0.47
BB- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.07 0.11 0.15 0.22 0.33 0.48 0.66 0.81 0.88 0.96 1.03 1.11 1.18 1.26 1.33 1.41
B+ 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.06 0.15 0.24 0.30 0.39 0.49 0.58 0.67 0.76 0.86 0.95 1.08 1.20 1.36 1.52
B 0.09 0.19 0.28 0.43 0.65 0.90 1.19 1.47 1.75 2.01 2.26 2.51 2.83 3.16 3.45 3.74 4.03 4.32 4.58 4.84
B- 0.31 0.85 1.35 1.89 2.53 3.22 3.91 4.56 5.26 5.87 6.54 7.30 7.92 8.49 9.17 9.90 10.64 11.38 12.03 12.68
CCC+ 1.15 2.64 4.31 6.16 7.86 9.40 10.79 12.18 13.77 15.19 16.27 17.00 17.74 18.30 18.68 18.87 18.87 18.87 19.07 19.47
CCC 4.95 11.02 17.70 23.86 28.93 32.34 35.21 38.10 39.27 41.02 42.77 44.53 46.86 49.78 52.12 54.48 56.88 59.31 62.39 64.90
CCC- 16.36 27.52 38.96 46.84 50.93 57.33 61.82 66.59 71.73 74.56 77.38 80.21 83.04 85.87 88.69 91.52 94.35 97.17 97.17 97.17
CC 30.91 49.09 63.64 76.36 83.64 87.27 90.91 92.73 94.55 96.36 98.18 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Investment grade 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.09 0.10 0.12
Speculative grade 0.31 0.63 0.94 1.25 1.53 1.81 2.09 2.36 2.63 2.89 3.15 3.42 3.68 3.93 4.18 4.42 4.67 4.90 5.14 5.37
All rated 0.12 0.24 0.36 0.48 0.59 0.70 0.81 0.91 1.02 1.12 1.23 1.33 1.43 1.53 1.63 1.72 1.82 1.92 2.02 2.12
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 61

Sovereign local currency cumulative average default rate* with rating modifiers (1993-2023)
(%) --Time horizon, annualized months--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA+ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.88
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.66 1.46
AA- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.18 1.32 2.58 3.97 4.71 4.71
A+ 0.00 0.00 0.27 0.94 1.65 1.77 1.77 2.39 3.40 4.14 4.14 4.14 4.14 4.14 5.27
A 0.00 0.00 0.20 0.78 1.43 2.69 4.11 5.03 5.68 6.51 7.32 7.32 7.32 7.32 7.32
A- 0.00 0.05 0.70 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 1.50 2.55 4.65 6.87 9.22 10.37
BBB+ 0.00 0.25 0.35 0.35 0.35 0.35 0.35 0.48 1.26 1.40 1.40 1.40 1.40 1.40 1.40
BBB 0.00 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19
BBB- 0.00 0.60 1.25 1.94 2.69 3.48 5.15 6.10 6.10 6.10 6.10 6.10 6.10 6.10 6.10
BB+ 0.17 1.04 1.04 1.04 1.23 2.01 2.07 2.15 3.06 4.00 4.97 5.99 7.11 8.36 9.78
BB 1.19 1.53 1.53 1.53 1.53 1.53 2.32 3.34 3.34 3.34 3.34 3.34 3.34 3.34 3.34
BB- 0.45 1.02 1.91 2.75 3.92 5.25 6.60 8.28 9.79 10.78 11.94 13.87 16.94 17.95 18.49
B+ 0.44 1.29 1.45 1.45 2.25 3.38 4.31 4.99 5.98 8.12 10.00 12.51 15.41 20.15 25.26
B 1.00 1.88 3.74 6.20 7.88 9.07 10.32 12.12 14.36 15.33 16.30 17.21 17.71 18.17 18.87
B- 4.09 8.11 12.04 15.04 17.46 19.69 22.34 24.98 26.93 29.33 30.78 30.78 30.78 32.01 32.38
CCC+ 6.86 11.81 17.44 20.81 29.60 39.72 43.48 45.99 45.99 47.44 51.29 51.29 51.29 51.29 51.29
CCC 16.29 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71 24.71
CCC- 23.29 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54 28.54
CC 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40
Investment grade 0.00 0.09 0.26 0.43 0.61 0.79 1.05 1.27 1.49 1.72 1.97 2.23 2.51 2.81 3.12
Speculative grade 1.94 3.41 4.74 5.93 7.26 8.67 9.88 11.18 12.43 13.66 14.83 15.94 17.17 18.55 19.89
All rated 0.73 1.34 1.93 2.47 3.07 3.69 4.28 4.88 5.45 6.01 6.56 7.09 7.66 8.28 8.89
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Horizons consist of monthly cohorts for specified periods annualized. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 62

Sovereign foreign currency cumulative average default rates* without rating modifiers: Middle East and Africa (1975-2023)
(%) --Time horizon, annualized months--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BB 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
B 2.00 4.36 7.18 9.92 12.89 16.11 19.58 23.35 27.49 31.36 34.64 37.67 40.63 44.25 48.52
CCC/CC 15.34 21.44 22.97 22.97 22.97 22.97 22.97 22.97 22.97 22.97 22.97 39.02 45.43 45.43 45.43
Investment grade 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Speculative grade 2.41 4.46 6.60 8.60 10.76 13.07 15.55 18.21 21.06 23.68 25.87 28.11 30.07 32.24 34.66
All rated 1.44 2.66 3.91 5.08 6.32 7.63 9.03 10.51 12.11 13.57 14.80 16.06 17.15 18.36 19.71
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Horizons consist of monthly cohorts for specified periods annualized. N.A.--Not available, there are no observations for this horizon. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 63

Sovereign foreign currency cumulative average default rates* without rating modifiers: Latin America (1975-2023)
(%) --Time horizon, annualized months--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.53 3.95
BBB 0.00 0.50 1.20 1.95 2.76 3.65 4.61 5.66 6.84 8.19 9.74 11.54 13.64 15.69 15.69
BB 0.24 1.01 2.35 3.86 6.96 10.33 13.93 17.23 19.93 21.43 23.17 25.15 26.64 27.80 28.62
B 6.23 14.30 22.84 30.99 35.96 40.29 43.87 47.64 50.87 53.73 55.06 56.10 57.56 59.01 61.13
CCC/CC 39.18 53.76 63.30 67.05 75.07 83.10 88.17 91.55 91.55 93.24 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Investment grade 0.00 0.31 0.73 1.18 1.65 2.16 2.69 3.27 3.89 4.58 5.34 6.18 7.13 8.19 9.37
Speculative grade 5.25 10.00 14.88 19.33 23.48 27.52 31.21 34.74 37.53 39.66 41.41 42.87 44.26 45.47 46.76
All rated 3.26 6.33 9.53 12.49 15.29 18.05 20.62 23.14 25.20 26.89 28.36 29.67 30.98 32.20 33.53
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Horizons consist of monthly cohorts for specified periods annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 64

Sovereign foreign currency cumulative average default rates* without rating modifiers: Asia-Pacific (1975-2023)
(%) --Time horizon, annualized months--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB 0.00 0.91 2.19 3.53 4.95 6.46 7.52 7.52 7.52 7.52 7.52 7.52 7.52 7.52 7.52
BB 0.00 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09
B 0.60 2.50 4.20 5.96 7.03 8.00 9.01 10.09 11.24 12.47 13.80 15.24 16.80 18.48 20.31
CCC/CC 64.55 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25 72.25
Investment grade 0.00 0.19 0.44 0.70 0.98 1.26 1.46 1.46 1.46 1.46 1.46 1.46 1.46 1.46 1.46
Speculative grade 2.16 3.42 4.35 5.30 5.88 6.39 6.92 7.48 8.07 8.69 9.35 10.07 10.84 11.69 12.61
All rated 0.77 1.34 1.83 2.34 2.72 3.09 3.40 3.60 3.81 4.02 4.25 4.48 4.74 5.00 5.28
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Horizons consist of monthly cohorts for specified periods annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 65

Sovereign foreign currency cumulative average default rates* without rating modifiers: Central and Eastern Europe and CIS (1975-2023)
(%) --Time horizon, annualized months--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BBB 0.55 1.22 1.92 2.65 2.77 2.77 2.77 3.40 4.27 5.15 6.09 7.07 8.11 9.21 10.38
BB 0.35 1.07 1.25 1.25 1.92 2.77 3.66 4.62 5.65 6.77 7.17 7.17 7.17 7.17 7.17
B 1.42 3.76 6.95 10.33 13.94 17.15 20.24 22.04 23.58 25.19 28.02 31.57 35.36 38.96 41.21
CCC/CC 44.71 64.97 64.97 64.97 64.97 81.14 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Investment grade 0.29 0.64 1.01 1.40 1.47 1.47 1.47 1.83 2.32 2.84 3.39 3.98 4.61 5.28 6.00
Speculative grade 1.63 3.28 4.67 6.03 7.85 9.85 11.88 13.15 14.36 15.67 17.08 18.61 20.30 21.95 23.01
All rated 0.91 1.87 2.72 3.55 4.43 5.36 6.29 7.06 7.87 8.74 9.67 10.66 11.73 12.80 13.65
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Horizons consist of monthly cohorts for specified periods annualized. CIS--Commonwealth of Independent States. N.A.--Not available, there are no observations for this horizon. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 66

Sovereign foreign currency cumulative average default rates* without rating modifiers: eurozone (1975-2023)
(%) --Time horizon, annualized months--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.41
A 0.00 0.06 1.45 3.02 4.67 6.42 8.28 10.26 12.34 14.56 16.85 19.23 20.79 22.15 23.00
BBB 0.00 0.87 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09 2.96 5.55 8.21
BB 2.61 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33 8.33
B 3.06 3.06 3.06 3.06 3.06 3.06 3.06 3.06 3.06 3.06 3.06 3.06 N.A. N.A. N.A.
CCC/CC 61.76 61.76 61.76 61.76 61.76 61.76 61.76 61.76 61.76 61.76 61.76 61.76 N.A. N.A. N.A.
Investment grade 0.00 0.13 0.47 0.83 1.20 1.58 1.97 2.38 2.80 3.23 3.68 4.15 4.64 5.15 5.68
Speculative grade 7.66 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47 11.47
All rated 0.40 0.71 1.04 1.38 1.73 2.09 2.46 2.85 3.26 3.68 4.12 4.57 5.05 5.55 6.07
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Horizons consist of monthly cohorts for specified periods annualized. N.A.--Not available, there are no observations for this horizon. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Table 67

Sovereign foreign currency cumulative average default rates* without rating modifiers: emerging and frontier markets (1975-2023)
(%) --Time horizon, annualized months--
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
AAA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
AA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.11 0.79
BBB 0.18 0.76 1.49 2.25 2.84 3.41 3.91 4.48 5.17 5.91 6.70 7.56 8.49 9.42 9.96
BB 0.33 1.05 1.80 2.41 3.84 5.43 7.10 8.68 10.03 10.92 11.76 12.62 13.30 13.84 14.23
B 3.09 7.21 11.75 16.20 19.75 23.08 26.34 29.40 32.40 35.22 37.52 39.77 42.20 44.81 47.62
CCC/CC 33.62 44.53 49.82 51.88 57.07 65.77 72.52 75.41 75.41 76.86 80.87 83.15 84.06 84.06 84.06
Investment grade 0.09 0.37 0.72 1.09 1.37 1.64 1.87 2.14 2.45 2.79 3.16 3.54 3.96 4.42 4.91
Speculative grade 3.42 6.37 9.27 11.92 14.54 17.20 19.78 22.12 24.24 26.08 27.72 29.29 30.82 32.32 33.83
All rated 2.00 3.81 5.61 7.28 8.89 10.52 12.09 13.53 14.87 16.07 17.16 18.22 19.28 20.33 21.40
*Default rates conditional on survival. Implied senior debt rating through 1995; sovereign credit ratings thereafter. Horizons consist of monthly cohorts for specified periods annualized. Sources: S&P Global Ratings Credit Research & Insights and S&P Global Market Intelligence's CreditPro®.

Related Criteria

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The use of the term "methodology" in this article refers to data aggregation and calculation methods used in conducting the research. It does not relate to S&P Global Ratings' methodologies, which are publicly available criteria used to determine credit ratings.

This report does not constitute a rating action.

Credit Markets Research:Luca Rossi, Paris +33 6 2518 9258;
luca.rossi@spglobal.com
Nick W Kraemer, FRM, New York + 1 (212) 438 1698;
nick.kraemer@spglobal.com
Research Contributor:Vaishali Singh, CRISIL Global Analytical Center, an S&P affiliate, Mumbai

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