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

Worldwide, the United States has, by far, the highest public debt, more than twice as high as China in second. Japan followed in third.

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.

Sudan has the highest public debt rate worldwide. The country was for a long time placed on the list of terror-sponsoring states by the United States, a decision that was only changed as late as 2020. Moreover, the country has been ridden by civil war since April 2022, and several other internal conflicts before. All these factors mean that creditors have had little trust in Sudan's ability to repay loans, and as a result, its debt rate stands at over 300 percent of its gross domestic product.

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.

Developing countries pay the highest interest payments on public debt as a share of their gross domestic product (GDP), with Zambia paying the highest rate at seven percent. Many developing countries rely on public debt to finance key investments, but a high debt burden means that funds need to be allocated to debt repayments.

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.

In 2024, Japan had the highest level of total non-financial debt among advanced economies, reaching 394 percent of the country's GDP. Total non-financial debt includes government debt, as well as private and business debt. Debt of the financial sector is not included in the figures.

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.

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.

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.

This statistic shows the national debt in the member states of the European Union in the second quarter of 2024. The data refer to the entire state and are comprised of the debts of central government, provinces, municipalities, local authorities and social security. In the second quarter of 2024, Greece's national debt amounted to about 369.4 billion euros. National debt in the EU member states National or government debt is the debt owed by a central government. No country in the European Union is debt-free, although some are able to manage their debts better than others. Debt is influenced by the economic situation of a country, factors such as unemployment, the rate of inflation or the trade figures have a significant impact on its extent, and are, in turn, influenced by the national debt. The economic crisis has hit some EU countries harder than others; Spain, Ireland and Greece especially have been struggling economically since 2008. Greece’s national debt has skyrocketed over the past few years, and the same can be said about Spain and Ireland. Other EU countries, like France and the United Kingdom have been affected as well, albeit not as severely. The national debt of a country can be reduced by applying several measures: money can be borrowed (for example in the form of rescue packages), austerity programs can be enforced, taxes can be increased or central banks can inject liquidity into the economy through the implementation of quantitative easing policies. Some critics of the policy claim that this could lead to a higher level of inflation, which, if severe enough, could have a detrimental impact on living standards.

Total government debt in East Africa varied strongly among countries. It is estimated to reach just over 151 percent of Sudan's GDP in 2023. On the other hand, only 32.5 percent of Comoros' GDP. Government debt was projected to increase in Comoros, South Sudan, Burundi, and Rwanda compared to 2022.

In 2023, the United States had the highest gross government debt of any G7 country, amounting to an estimated 33 trillion U.S. dollars. However, in terms of government debt as a share of GDP, Japan carries a far higher government debt load than the U.S.

In 2024, Finland had the highest debt rate of the Nordic countries, followed by Iceland. In 2011, Iceland's debt rate was over 138 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), but it had decreased to 59 percent in 2024. Finland's debt rate, on the other hand, increased from 50 percent in 2010 to 80 percent in 2024. Debt rates of the three other Nordic countries were more stable, and were between 29 and 38 percent in 2024.

According to estimates, the general government debt in Eritrea amounted to nearly 164 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2022. This was the highest debt-to-GDP ratio measured in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cabo Verde and Mozambique followed. In these countries, the national debt was estimated at 127 percent and 104 percent of GDP, respectively. The figures included debts of the state, communities, municipalities, and social insurances.

Brunei Darussalam in Southeast Asia is the country with the lowest public debt rate worldwide. It was followed by Kuwait and Turkmenistan. Meanwhile, Sudan has the highest public debt rate worldwide.

Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway were among the European countries with most indebted households in 2023 and 2024. The debt of Dutch households amounted to 200 percent their disposable income in , as they had a ratio of over 180 percent in the second quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, Norwegian households' debt represented 233 percent of their income. However, households in most countries were less indebted, with that ratio amounting to 97 percent in the Euro area. Less indebtedness in Western and Northern Europe There were several European countries where household's debts outweighed their disposable income. Most of those countries were North or West European. However, the indebtedness ratio in Denmark has been decreasing during the past decade. As the debt of Danish households represented nearly 273 percent in the last quarter of 2014, which has fallen very significantly by 2024. Other countries with indebted households have been following similar trends. The households' debt-to-income ratio in the Netherlands has also fallen from over 275 percent in 2013 to 200 percent in 2024. Debt per adult in Europe In Europe, the value of debt per adult varies considerably from an average of around 10,000 U.S. dollars in Europe to a much higher level in certain countries such as Switzerland. Debts can be formed in a number of ways. The most common forms of debt include credit cards, medical debt, student loans, overdrafts, mortgages, automobile financing and personal loans.

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 statistic shows the national debt of countries in the ASEAN region of Asia in relation to gross domestic product (GDP) from 2019 to 2029. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2021, the national debt of Myanmar amounted to 61.29 percent of the country's gross domestic product.