In 2024, Sudan ranked had the highest public debt level in relation to its GDP, with an estimated debt almost three times larger than its GDP. The countries with the highest public debt often have a high level of economic instability, however there are also many more developed economies on this list, such as five of the G7 countries, who feature due to their high levels of national borrowing and public spending. Venezuela's public debt

This dataset provides values for GOVERNMENT DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

In the third quarter of 2024, Greece's national debt was the highest in all the European Union, amounting to 158 percent of Greece's gross domestic product. In spite of Greece's total being high by EU standards, it marks a substantial decrease from the historical high point reached by the country's national debt of 207 percent of GDP in 2020. Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, and Portugal also all have government debt worth over one year's production of their economies, while the small Baltic country of Estonia has the smallest national debt when compared with GDP, at only 24 percent. In debitum incrementum?A country’s national debt, also known as government debt or public debt, is defined as all borrowings owed by the government of a country. It usually comprises internal debt – owed to other governmental departments – and external debt, which is held by the public and is owed to government bond owners. National debt can be caused by a struggling economy in general, or by low tax income, which usually leads to money being borrowed from other governments for support, which in turn cannot be paid back right away. At first glance, a high national debt is not always a sign of a struggling economy – but since increasing debt can slow down economic growth significantly, it is imperative for the respective government to seek a steady reduction in the long run.

Key information about United States Government Debt: % of GDP

• United States Government debt accounted for 124.0 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with the ratio of 123.1 % in the previous quarter.
• US government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1969 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 130.4 % in Mar 2021 and a record low of 31.8 % in Sep 1974.

CEIC calculates quarterly Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Government Debt and rolling sum of quarterly Nominal GDP. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service provides Government Debt in USD. The Bureau of Economic Analysis provides Nominal GDP in USD. Government Debt covers Central Government only.


Related information about United States Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, US National Government Debt reached 36,220.2 USD bn in Jan 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 6,632.4 USD bn in Mar 2023.

This dataset provides values for PRIVATE DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

The value of the debt per adult in Europe in 2022 varied a lot from country to country. While Swiss adults had on average over ******* U.S. dollars of debt in 2022, adults from Azerbaijan had a debt of *** dollars. Meanwhile, the average volume of debt in Europe that year was almost ****** U.S. dollars per adult. The household debt to disposable income ratio in Europe follows a similarly varied distribution. As varied as the volume of debts in Europe are, the most common forms of debt are still very similar and they tend to include: credit cards, medical debt, student loans, overdrafts, mortgages, automobile financing and personal loans.

Of the G7 countries, Japan had the highest net debt in terms of share of gross domestic product (GDP) between 2010 and 2024. That year, Japan's government's net debt reached an estimated *** percent of its total GDP. Italy had the second highest debt rate at *** percent of its GDP, whereas Canada had the lowest at only ** percent.

This dataset provides values for HOUSEHOLDS DEBT TO INCOME reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

This scatter chart displays health expenditure per capita (current US$) against central government debt (% of GDP) in Micronesia. The data is about countries.

Ukraine External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data was reported at 0.005 USD mn in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.003 USD mn for 2022. Ukraine External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 0.002 USD mn from Dec 1992 (Median) to 2023, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.005 USD mn in 2023 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 1992. Ukraine External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ukraine – Table UA.World Bank.IDS: External Debt: Debt Outstanding, Debt Ratio and Debt Service: Annual. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

This scatter chart displays central government debt (% of GDP) against health expenditure per capita (current US$) in Southern Asia. The data is about countries.

India External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data was reported at 0.000 USD mn in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.000 USD mn for 2022. India External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 USD mn from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2023, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.000 USD mn in 2023 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 1970. India External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.World Bank.IDS: External Debt: Debt Outstanding, Debt Ratio and Debt Service: Annual. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

In 2023, the gross federal debt in the United States amounted to around ****** U.S. dollars per capita. This is a moderate increase from the previous year, when the per capita national debt amounted to about ****** U.S. dollars. The total debt accrued by the U.S. annually can be accessed here. Federal debt of the United States The level of national debt held by the United States government has risen sharply in the years following the Great Recession. Federal debt is the amount of debt the federal government owes to creditors who hold assets in the form of debt securities. As with individuals and consumers, there is a common consensus among economists that holding debt is not necessarily problematic for government so long as the public debt is held at a sustainable level. Although there is no agreed upon ratio of debt to gross domestic product, the increasing debt held by the Federal Reserve has become a major part of the political discourse in the United States. Politics and the national debt In recent years, debate over the debt ceiling has been of concern to domestic politicians, the owners of federal debt, and global economy as a whole. The debt ceiling is a legislated maximum amount that national debt can reach intended to impose a degree of fiscal prudence on incumbent governments. However, as national debt has grown the debt ceiling has been reached, thus forcing legislative action by Congress. In both 2011 and 2013, new legislation was passed by Congress allowing the debt ceiling to be raised. The Budget Control Act of 2011 and the No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 successively allowed the government to avoid defaulting on national debt and therefore avert a potential economic crisis.

Indonesia External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data was reported at 0.001 USD mn in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.001 USD mn for 2022. Indonesia External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 0.001 USD mn from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2023, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.002 USD mn in 2020 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 1970. Indonesia External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Indonesia – Table ID.World Bank.IDS: External Debt: Debt Outstanding, Debt Ratio and Debt Service: Annual. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

This dataset provides values for PRIVATE DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Argentina External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data was reported at 0.006 USD mn in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.006 USD mn for 2022. Argentina External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 0.003 USD mn from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2023, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.007 USD mn in 2019 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 1970. Argentina External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Argentina – Table AR.World Bank.IDS: External Debt: Debt Outstanding, Debt Ratio and Debt Service: Annual. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

This scatter chart displays central government debt (% of GDP) against health expenditure per capita (current US$) in Middle Africa. The data is about countries.

Afghanistan External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data was reported at 0.000 USD mn in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.000 USD mn for 2022. Afghanistan External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 USD mn from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2023, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.000 USD mn in 2009 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 2006. Afghanistan External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Afghanistan – Table AF.World Bank.IDS: External Debt: Debt Outstanding, Debt Ratio and Debt Service: Annual. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

This scatter chart displays central government debt (% of GDP) against health expenditure per capita (current US$) in Western Africa. The data is about countries.

Kenya External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data was reported at 0.001 USD mn in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.001 USD mn for 2022. Kenya External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 USD mn from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2023, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.001 USD mn in 2023 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 1970. Kenya External Debt: Total External Debt per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.IDS: External Debt: Debt Outstanding, Debt Ratio and Debt Service: Annual. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.