The aim of this paper is to examine the evolution and determinants of debt maturity and to characterise differences across countries. We investigate differences in debt maturity between advanced economies (AEs) and emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), and we analyse the behaviour of debt maturity during crises and normal times. To study debt maturity, we assemble different data sets, including aggregate data on shortterm external and international debt outstanding, sovereign and corporate bond issuance data, syndicated loan deal data, and corporate balance sheet information on leverage and short-term debt. In terms of the determinants of debt maturity, we examine the role of country-level and global factors and, in the case of corporate maturity, the impact of corporate characteristics.