Reducing the debt payments made by poor countries to more sustainable levels could help 5 million more children attend school and provide access to clean drinking water to 17 million people, according to new research.
A study by academics at the universities of St Andrews and Leicester said there would be “huge benefits” – including saving the lives of 60,000 children and mothers – from slashing the size of repayments.
With external debt payments running at their highest level in three decades, the findings of the study were seized upon by campaigners urging creditors to offer more generous terms to low-income countries.
The report looked at 39 countries where debt payments average more than 22% of government revenue and a wider…
