In 2023, 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

The statistic shows the 20 countries with the lowest national debt in 2023 in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP). The data refer to the debts of the entire state, including the central government, the provinces, municipalities, local authorities and social insurance. In 2023, Russia's estimated level of national debt reached about 19.66 percent of the GDP, ranking 17th of the countries with the lowest national debt. National debt and GDP The debt-to-GDP ratio is an indicator of a country’s ability to produce and sell goods in order to pay back any present debts, however these countries should not retain newer debts in the process. Many economists believe that if a country is able to produce more without impairing its own economical growth, it can be considered more stable, particularly for the future. However, the listed countries, with the exception of Russia and Saudi Arabia, are not necessarily economic first-world powers. Additionally, economically powerful countries such as the United States and France maintain one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios, signifying that occurring debt does not necessarily damage the state of the economy and is sometimes necessary in order to help develop it. Saudi Arabia has maintained one of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios due to its high export rates, which primarily consist of petroleum and petroleum goods. Given the significance of oil in today’s world, Saudi Arabia produces enough oil and earns enough revenue to maintain a high GDP and additionally refrain from incurring 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.

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.

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 156 percent of its total GDP. Italy had the second highest debt rate at 127 percent of its GDP, whereas Canada had the lowest at only 14 percent.

As of 2024, the United States' government debt accounted for more than a third of the world total. Second in the ranking was China with 16.1 percent of the total, followed by Japan with ten percent.

The average for 2022 based on 10 countries was 65.75 percent. The highest value was in Singapore: 158.25 percent and the lowest value was in Brunei: 2.06 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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 2024, Ukraine's estimated national debt amounted to nearly 96 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), which was the highest ratio among the Eurasian countries. Armenia and Kyrgyzstan ranked second and third, with national debts amounting to approximately 52 percent and 42 percent of their GDP, respectively. The debt-to-GDP ratio is an indicator of a country’s ability to produce and sell goods in order to pay back any present debts. A higher ratio means that a country does not produce enough to pay off its debt, whereas a lower ratio indicates enough economic activity to make debt payments.

Panama is the Latin American country with the highest foreign debt in relation to its gross domestic product (GDP). The total debt held by Panama's central government to foreign creditors represented over 50 percent of the country's GDP in 2022. Nicaragua ranked second among the countries shown in this statistic, with an external debt equivalent to 40.5 percent of its GDP.

This dataset provides values for HOUSEHOLDS 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.

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.

Key information about India Government Debt: % of GDP

• India Government debt accounted for 58.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2024, compared with the ratio of 58.3 % in the previous quarter.
• India government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2012 to Sep 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 59.3 % in Sep 2023 and a record low of 44.6 % in Dec 2018.

CEIC calculates quarterly Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Government Debt and rolling sum of quarterly Nominal GDP. The Ministry of Finance provides Government Debt in local currency. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation provides Nominal GDP in local currency. Government Debt covers Central Government only.


Related information about India Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, India National Government Debt reached 2,144.6 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 873.7 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Tunisia recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 76.70 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2023. This dataset provides - Tunisia Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In September 2023, the national debt of the United States had risen up to 33.17 trillion U.S. dollars. The national debt per capita had risen to 85,552 U.S. dollars in 2021. As represented by the statistic above, the public debt of the United States has been continuously rising.

U.S. public debt Public debt, also known as national and governmental debt, is the debt owed by a nations’ central government. In the case of the U.S., national debt is owed by the federal government to Treasury security holders. Generally speaking, government debt increases with government spending, and can be decreased through taxes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government increased spending significantly to finance virus infrastructure, aid, and various forms of economic relief.

International public debt

Venezuela leads the global ranking of the 20 countries with the highest public debt in 2021. In relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Venezuela's public debt amounted to around 306.95 percent of GDP. Eritrea was ranked fifth, with an estimated debt of 170 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.

The national debt of the United Kingdom is forecasted to grow from 87 percent in 2022 to 70 percent in 2027, in relation to the Gross Domestic Product. These figures include England, Wales, Scotland as well as Northern Ireland.

Greece had the highest national debt among EU countries as of the 4th quarter of 2020 in relation to the Gross Domestic Product. Germany ranked 13th in the EU, with its national debt amounting to 69 percent of GDP in the same time period.

Tuvalu was one of the 20 countries with the lowest national debt in 2021 in relation to the GDP, while Macao had an estimated level of national debt of zero percent, the lowest of any country. The data refer to the debts of the entire state, including the central government, the provinces, municipalities, local authorities and social insurance.

This dataset provides values for HOUSEHOLDS 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.

Key information about Canada Government Debt: % of GDP

• Canada Government debt accounted for 69.4 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Mar 2024, compared with the ratio of 66.9 % in the previous year.
• Canada government debt to GDP ratio data is updated yearly, available from Mar 1962 to Mar 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 83.6 % in Mar 1996 and a record low of 33.1 % in Mar 1977.

CEIC calculates Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from annual Government Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. The Department of Finance Canada provides Government Debt in local currency. Statistics Canada provides Nominal GDP in local currency based on CSNA 2012/SNA 2008. Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP is in annual frequency, ending in March of each year.


Related information about Canada Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, Canada National Government Debt reached 1,519.8 USD bn in Mar 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 520.3 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Venezuela was the most indebted country in Latin America and the Caribbean based on total government debt as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). The lowest general government debt to GDP ratio in the region was found in Haiti, where the total public debt accounted for only 14.9 percent of the country's GDP as of 2024.

Key information about Italy Government Debt: % of GDP

• Italy Government debt accounted for 135.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with the ratio of 136.2 % in the previous quarter.
• Italy government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Dec 1995 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 159.9 % in Mar 2021 and a record low of 103.9 % in Dec 2007.

CEIC calculates quarterly Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Government Debt and rolling sum of quarterly Nominal GDP. The Bank of Italy provides Government Debt in EUR. Italian National Institute of Statistics provides Nominal GDP in EUR.


Related information about Italy Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, Italy National Government Debt reached 3,069.8 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 538.7 USD bn in Mar 2023.