List of countries by government debt explained

This is a list of countries by government debt. Gross government debt is government financial liabilities that are debt instruments. A debt instrument is a financial claim that requires payment of interest and/or principal by the debtor to the creditor in the future. Examples include debt securities (such as bonds and bills), loans, and government employee pension obligations.[1] Net debt equals gross debt minus financial assets that are debt instruments. Net debt estimates are not always available since some government assets are difficult to value, such as loans made at concessional rates.

Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits.[2] A deficit occurs when a government's expenditures exceed revenues.[3]

In the list below, government debt is measured for the general government sector because the level of government responsible for programs (for example, health care) differs across countries, and the general government comprises central, state, provincial, regional, and local governments, and social security funds.

To make the numbers comparable across countries of different size, government debt is measured as a percentage of a country's gross domestic product (GDP). For context on the magnitude of the debt numbers, European Union member countries have an agreement, the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), to maintain a general government gross debt of no more than 60% of GDP.[4] The aim of the SGP is to prevent excessive debt burdens.[5]

Government debt as a percentage of GDP

When data is not available, numbers are IMF staff estimates.

Gross debt[6]
2022! data-sort-type="number"
Net debt[7]
2021
no datan/a
5867.58164.1
46.452.39751.9
34.738.788
70.367.050
76.490.562
86.284.466
53.149.273
76.292.004
49.655.70234.6
75.477.78660.6
18.320.675
8489.414
126117.587
41.439.088
107.5120.781134.3
48.639.753
105.4105.27093.7
62.964.141
53.452.386
111.4124.795
86.782.61670.6
29.729.55622.0
17.919.94914.2
86.785.90657.2
2.32.063
23.421.84413.7
63.354.309
72.268.300
112.2127.407130.5
26.436.533
39.246.43244.1
104.7106.59031.6
55.650.687
32.350.367
40.537.97720.1
88.677.097
54.463.62656.8
35.529.064
11.114.580
94.699.565
60.663.768
57.756.750
59.567.535
no data
70.786.50151.0
45.142.34926.4
29.229.65811.0
56.540.61445.8
98.7104.788
59.558.91949.3
no data57.303
96.488.53484.5
84.477.236
37.727.14729.7
no data163.769
2317.1604.4
37.245.35338.0
30.546.37249.6
81.192.80282.2
8074.80734.1
111.6111.063101.1
73.155.054
64.383.952
38.839.772
63.766.53547.0
83.688.76777.3
158.8177.434
61.264.508
27.630.127
35.133.404
76.579.529
31.227.80938.4
14.925.010
44.650.022
94.255
74.776.35169.8
58.768.72659.5
82.583.126
39.339.93437.9
25.534.00636.1
48.243.300
41.245.19050.4
67.360.93165.1
139.2144.696138.3
67.584.124
254.6261.289168.1
91.489.42591.8
24.223.497-3.3
7367.93662.6
9.915.214
56.654.33120.9
no data
18.419.319
7.12.923
47.253.528
115.5128.514
43.241.60934.5
no data
63.257.90717.5
56.555.36648.6
no data
36.239.56139.8
2824.305-10.8
00.000
56.156.989
74.970.139
66.466.265
121.1114.943
55.153.21844.8
53.655.82946.2
17.321.196
48.547.74048.6
8180.869
55.656.02949.9
10.614.026
37.333.523
47.982.427
62.371.231
70.468.78868.4
96.9104.516
58.563.896
65.471.27870.8
23.424.265
4343.830
47.748.50742.8
47.452.79214.5
39.245.956
48.951.07645.0
46.638.01736.2
54.651.79952.3
3839.603-86.7
35.440.14825.5
71.875.75367.4
80
54.154.89240.8
52.149.193
43.140.87033.4
3333.37319.2
56.957.520
55.149.57740.8
94.7116.048120.1
17.216.312
37.345.308
5348.72842.3
20.819.597
69.964.425
51.764.752
75.883.484
87.586.799
29.143.727
68.781.166
42.658.099
27.522.57317.7
72.574.970
49.153.53952.6
58.363.42762.4
69.798.848
162.5134.159
59.358.82151.3
67.570.24549.5
19.816.8537.3
no data
75.471.01663.2
48.339.63964.6
106.3111.978102.8
no data117.661
280.3127.552
87.9123.158
3631.6868.5
36.739.12221.6
no datan/an/a
22.527.46526.5
30.834.631
46.141.622
64.560.542
14.27.490
68.368.037
43.846.581
5653.75011.5
78.679.364
29.531.17833.8
4.75.186
77.587
49.750.834
9481.693
30.329.958
104.3102.63684.3
123.3121.68399.6
61.961.00054.7
3634.295
4445.752
no data157.809
33.537.091
no data59.776
81.473.53169.3
no datan/a117.5
98.592.824

Public debt per capita

The figures here are represented per capita.

Country(PPP) [8] [9] [10] (Forex) [11] Year
$102,503 $91,768 2017
$97,852 $60,016 2017
$77,278 $37,990 2017
$50,562 $33,905 2017
$49,060 $41,056 2017
$47,822 $44,871 2017
$47,291 $44,119 2017
$46,645 $46,645 2017
$44,348 $41,323 2017
$43,659 $21,673 2017
$41,040 $37,189 2017
$39,419 $37,310 2017
$39,311 $35,320 2017
$38,127 $26,462 2017
$37,015 $37,015 2016
$35,466 $26,210 2017
$33,349 $29,394 2017
$30,674 $19,918 2016
$30,452 $27,415 2017
$28,001 $26,777 2017
$27,111 $27,986 2017
$26,367 $34,225 2017
$25,900 $27,095 2017
$25,047 $17,103 2017
$24,939 $17,110 2017
$23,582 $23,742 2017
$22,922 $25,351 2017
$21,746 $14,204 2017
$21,709 $13,796 2017
$21,695 $23,990 2017
$21,693 $10,427 2017
$21,238 $13,039 2017
$21,169 $28,505 2017
$21,048 $21,763 2017
$20,462 $8,525 2017
$20,360 $16,320 2017
$19,796 $19,960 2017
$19,326 $7,196 2017
$19,292 $25,819 2017
$18,601 $9,976 2017
$18,482 $10,068 2017
$18,363 $11,420 2017
$18,027 $8,682 2017
$17,487 $19,784 2017
$16,798 $8,970 2017
$15,915 $12,973 2016
$15,873 $5,313 2017
$15,633 $11,830 2017
$15,241 $11,540 2017
$14,829 $6,912 2017
$14,783 $5,858 2017
$14,735 $7,834 2017
$14,726 $11,722 2017
$14,133 $7,769 2017
$13,728 $18,969 2015
$13,262 $6,253 2017
$13,180 $14,045 2017
$13,064 $8,265 2017
$13,000 $6,717 2017
$12,474 $2,450 2017
$12,206 $7,007 2017
$12,122 $5,234 2017
$11,884 $8,217 2017
$11,701 $3,281 2017
$11,236 $7,335 2017
$10,859 $7,202 2017
$10,847 $4,418 2017
$10,618 $4,962 2017
$10,353 $6,150 2017
$10,252 $7,021 2017
$10,235 $7,293 2017
$10,194 $5,724 2017
$10,069 $3,963 2017
$10,055 $3,051 2017
$9,993 $3,336 2017
$9,663 $3,060 2017
$9,644 $2,858 2017
$9,360 $5,305 2017
$9,333 $3,658 2017
$9,273 $2,190 2017
$9,226 $3,569 2017
$9,167 $5,688 2017
$8,747 $6,223 2017
$8,457 $3,070 2017
$8,406 $2,439 2017
$8,360 $3,931 2017
$8,291 $3,634 2017
$8,257 $4,757 2017
$8,230 $5,713 2017
$8,161 $3,680 2017
$7,878 $4,077 2017
$7,802 $2,049 2017
$7,631 $7,631 2017
$7,613 $2,966 2017
$7,594 $2,253 2017
$7,548 $2,781 2017
$7,342 $3,343 2017
$7,298 $3,225 2017
$6,912 $12,375 2014
$6,249 $2,748 2017
$5,970 $1,811 2017
$5,952 $3,647 2017
$5,879 $4,024 2017
$5,755 $2,109 2017
$5,665 $2,074 2017
$5,615 $2,723 2017
$5,519 $2,019 2017
$5,437 $5,005 2016
$5,311 $2,870 2017
$5,311 $1,769 2017
$5,203 $5,203 2014
$5,202 $1,429 2017
$5,198 $1,928 2017
$5,003 $1,292 2017
$4,990 $2,032 2017
$4,684 $2,579 2017
$4,600 $1,864 2017
$4,555 $2,582 2017
$4,441 $2,510 2017
$4,380 $1,721 2017
$4,347 $1,241 2017
$4,338 $1,492 2017
$4,337 $2,159 2017
$4,159 $1,106 2017
$4,145 $2,709 2017
$3,911 $1,329 2017
$3,632 $1,382 2017
$3,628 $1,637 2017
$3,562 $1,112 2017
$3,488 $1,737 2017
$3,424 $1,201 2017
$3,420 $983 2017
$3,305 $1,182 2017
$3,030 $1,154 2017
$3,013 $1,878 2017
$2,966 $1,699 2017
$2,957 $3,271 2017
$2,773 $2,051 2017
$2,666 $2,053 2017
$2,645 $986 2017
$2,468 $1,081 2017
$2,450 $1,199 2016
$2,428 $1,082 2017
$2,336 $623 2017
$2,216 $724 2017
$2,178 $788 2017
$2,173 $876 2017
$2,105 $754 2017
$2,066 $1,277 2017
$2,057 $1,126 2017
$2,024 $2,024 2013
$2,010 $1,035 2017
$1,992 $406 2017
$1,992 $756 2017
$1,992 $988 2017
$1,913 $813 2017
$1,850 $857 2015
$1,833 $887 2017
$1,805 $395 2017
$1,762 $679 2017
$1,739 $724 2017
$1,696 $1,696 2017
$1,665 $418 2017
$1,585 $1,041 2017
$1,579 $1,579 2017
$1,433 $543 2017
$1,394 $1,328 2017
$1,392 $480 2017
$1,391 $472 2017
$1,309 $730 2017
$1,297 $1,462 2017
$1,289 $504 2017
$1,229 $188 2017
$1,222 $445 2017
$1,201 $403 2017
$1,201 $441 2017
$1,187 $408 2017
$1,169 $366 2017
$1,143 $472 2017
$1,084 $345 2017
$1,003 $404 2017
$949 $327 2017
$932 $397 2017
$894 $328 2017
$873 $261 2017
$823 $775 2017
$820 $304 2017
$792 $295 2017
$703 $221 2017
$692 $243 2017
$669 $186 2017
$660 $748 2017
$576 $248 2017
$559 $161 2017
$546 $474 2017
$520 $257 2017
$498 $188 2017
$437 $235 2017
$431 $213 2017
$349 $148 2017
$312 $178 2017
$213 $80 2017
$189 $185 2017
$146 $88 2017
$139 $41 2017
$63 $47 2017
$0 $0 2015
$0 $0 2017

See also

Nation specific

Notes and References

  1. Web site: International Monetary Fund . 2014 . Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014 .
  2. Web site: General government debt . OECD Data . OECD.org .
  3. Web site: General government deficit . OECD.org . OECD Data .
  4. Web site: Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union – PROTOCOLS – Protocol (No 12) on the excessive deficit procedure .
  5. Web site: Applying the rules of the stability and growth pact.
  6. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/April/weo-report?c=512,914,612,171,614,311,213,911,314,193,122,912,313,419,513,316,913,124,339,638,514,218,963,616,223,516,918,748,618,624,522,622,156,626,628,228,924,233,632,636,634,238,662,960,423,935,128,611,321,243,248,469,253,642,643,939,734,644,819,172,132,646,648,915,134,652,174,328,258,656,654,336,263,268,532,944,176,534,536,429,433,178,436,136,343,158,439,916,664,826,542,967,443,917,544,941,446,666,668,672,946,137,546,674,676,548,556,678,181,867,682,684,273,868,921,948,943,686,688,518,728,836,558,138,196,278,692,694,962,142,449,564,565,283,853,288,293,566,964,182,359,453,968,922,714,862,135,716,456,722,942,718,724,576,936,961,813,726,199,733,184,524,361,362,364,732,366,144,146,463,528,923,738,578,537,742,866,369,744,186,925,869,746,926,466,112,111,298,927,846,299,582,487,474,754,698,&s=,GGXWDG_NGDP,&sy=1995&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1
  7. Web site: World Economic Outlook Database . October 2022 . International Monetary Fund .
  8. Web site: Country Comparison :: Population — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency. https://web.archive.org/web/20181218221601/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/335rank.html. dead. December 18, 2018. www.cia.gov.
  9. Web site: Field Listing :: Public debt — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency. https://web.archive.org/web/20181130202014/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/227.html. dead. November 30, 2018. www.cia.gov.
  10. Web site: Field Listing :: GDP (purchasing power parity) — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency. https://web.archive.org/web/20190109070356/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/208.html. dead. January 9, 2019. www.cia.gov.
  11. Web site: Field Listing :: GDP (official exchange rate) — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency. https://web.archive.org/web/20190109030215/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/209.html. dead. January 9, 2019. www.cia.gov.

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