Public debt levels in developing countries soared from 40.2 to 62.3% of GDP between 2011 and 2020. Nearly a quarter of this increase, equivalent to US$ 1.9 trillion, took place in the last year as a result of the pandemic. Public debt increased in 108 developing countries in 2020. Countries that entered the crisis with the highest levels of public debt tended to experience the largest increases in 2020. [...]