Shining a spotlight on the human stories behind the debt data, the Real Cost of Debt is a multimedia storytelling project which focuses on the human impacts of the debt crisis.
The Real Cost of Debt
06 May 2026
05 Nov 2025
False and Distracting Finance Solutions: Debt and Climate mini briefs
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The debt and climate crises are deeply connected - but false ‘solutions’ risk distracting from, delaying, and ultimately avoiding the deep changes needed to resolve them. This mini-series will give you the evidence, talking points, and tools to push back and promote genuine, lasting solutions to the debt and climate crises. These briefings have been produced by the Debt and Climate Working Group |
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- The Real Cost of Debt
- Global Processes
18 Apr 2023
The debt games - Is there a way out of the maze?
Countries in the global south are falling into a vicious cycle of debt and austerity, that only exacerbates the multiple crises. However, a financial system that delivers a fair resolution for the debt crises is possible.
- The Real Cost of Debt
- Debt Resolution
07 Sep 2021
The Climate Emergency: What's debt got to do with it?
- The Real Cost of Debt
17 Dec 2020
A tale of two emergencies - the interplay of sovereign debt and climate crises in the global south
Our latest report focuses on the climate emergency and how it has become a wider focus of policy discussions around debt, as extreme climatic events and environmental hazards increase both the cost of borrowing and the risk of debt crises in countries in the global south that are often already bearing large external debt stocks.
Read the report in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
- The Real Cost of Debt
- Global Processes
17 Feb 2020
Out of service: How public services and human rights are being threatened by the growing debt crisis
Public services play a critical role in advancing human rights and fighting inequality. However, growing levels of external public debt, especially in the global south, threaten the very services on which citizens depend in order to have even a basic standard of living.
- The Real Cost of Debt
- Debt Resolution