What is the Debt Ratio?
The Debt Ratio, also known as the Financial Dependency Ratio, is a financial metric that measures the proportion of a company's assets that are financed through debt. It is calculated by dividing total liabilities by total assets[citation:1][citation:3].
Debt Ratio = Total Liabilities ÷ Total Assets
This ratio is a key indicator of a company's financial leverage and risk. A higher debt ratio means the company relies more heavily on borrowed funds, which can increase financial risk, especially during economic downturns. A lower ratio indicates a more conservative capital structure with greater reliance on equity financing[citation:3].
The debt ratio is widely used by:
- Lenders — to assess creditworthiness and the ability to repay loans.
- Investors — to evaluate whether a company is over-leveraged.
- Analysts — to compare companies within the same industry.
The generally accepted normative value is around 0.5 (50%), meaning half of the assets are financed by debt. A value up to 0.6–0.7 is often considered acceptable, but exceeding this threshold signals higher financial risk and potential insolvency[citation:1][citation:12].