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.

The average for 2022 based on 174 countries was 59.99 percent. The highest value was in Japan: 236.58 percent and the lowest value was in Liechtenstein: 0.5 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

The external debt (or the foreign debt), at any given time, is the outstanding amount of the actual current (and not contingent) liabilities that require payment(s) of principal and/or interest by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy. The external debt is the portion of a country's debt that was borrowed from creditors outside the country, including commercial banks, other governments or international financial institutions (such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank). The assets/liabilities include debt securities, such as bonds, notes and money market instruments, as well as loans, deposits, currency, trade credits and advances due to non-residents. The loans must usually be paid in the currency in which they was made. In order to earn the needed currency, the borrowing country may sell and export goods to the lender's country. The data are expressed in % of GDP.

Key information about Norway Government Debt: % of GDP

• Norway Government debt accounted for 55.1 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with the ratio of 44.5 % in the previous year.
• Norway government debt to GDP ratio data is updated yearly, available from Dec 1995 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 55.1 % in Dec 2024 and a record low of 23.6 % in Dec 1998.

CEIC calculates Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from annual Government Debt and annual Nominal GDP. Statistics Norway provides Government Debt in local currency and Nominal GDP in local currency.


Related information about Norway Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, Norway National Government Debt reached 251.8 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 128.6 USD bn in Mar 2023.

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

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.

Brazil External Debt Ratio: Net Total External Debt to GDP data was reported at -0.148 % in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of -0.578 % for Dec 2024. Brazil External Debt Ratio: Net Total External Debt to GDP data is updated quarterly, averaging -1.441 % from Dec 1995 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 118 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 66.703 % in Mar 2004 and a record low of -4.924 % in Jun 2018. Brazil External Debt Ratio: Net Total External Debt to GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of Brazil. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.FD015: Gross External Debt: External Indebtedness Indicators. The statistics of the external debt comprises the total received on a certain date, the contractual debts effectively disbursed and not yet settled, from residents with non-residents, where there is an obligation to pay principal and / or interest. It is considered short-term debt that one whose maturity is equal to or less than 360 days, and long-term debt the one that exceeds this limit. Starting in June 2001, the Central Bank of Brazil, aiming at the improvement of statistics on the Brazilian foreign debt, decided to separate the values related to inter-companies loans, which were classified as direct investment in the country, as well as the relative to the principal installments of foreign loans overdue more than 120 days. According to the Brazilian Central Bank, the external debt registered and unregistered started to be released as the total gross external debt following a concept in accordance with international standards. A estatística da dívida externa compreende o total apurado em determinada data, dos débitos contratuais efetivamente desembolsados e ainda não quitados, de residentes com não residentes, onde haja a obrigatoriedade de pagamento de principal e/ou juros. Considera-se dívida de curto prazo aquela cujo vencimento é igual ou inferior a 360 dias, e de longo prazo aquela que ultrapasse este limite. A partir de junho de 2001, o Banco Central do Brasil, objetivando o aperfeiçoamento das estatísticas sobre a dívida externa brasileira, decidiu separar do seu total os valores relacionados a empréstimos Inter companhias, que foram classificados como investimento direto no País, bem como os relativos a parcelas de principal de operações de crédito externo vencidas há mais de 120 dias. De acordo com o Banco Central do Brasil, a dívida externa registrada e não registrada começou a ser publicada como a dívida externa bruta total seguindo um conceito de acordo com as normas internacionais.

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.

Germany recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 62.50 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Germany Government Debt to GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by Foreign and International Investors (FDHBFIN) from Q1 1970 to Q1 2025 about foreign, debt, federal, and USA.

In 2024, public debt in France represented 112.3 percent of the country’s GDP. According to the source, public debt in France is supposed to remain stable in the upcoming years. There was a substantial increase between 2019 and 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the French government's economic response to it. Since 2005, public debt in France is increasing making the country one of the most in debt of the European Union.

A debt country

Public debt, also known as national debt, appears to be the difference between what a government is receiving and spending in a year. It is the accumulation of annual budget deficits, which happened when the government was spending more than receiving. Public debt in France is increasing since 2007, while the debt interest expenditure amounted to more than 45 billion euros in 2022.

France’s revenue and spending

Most of French public debt is generated by the State, in comparison with the social security system and the regional and local authorities. The budget balance of the country has been negative for years and does not appear to reach a positive one in the future. France spends most of its budget on tax repayments and abatement, as well as on education and defense. In 2021, France’s government spent more than 1.48 trillion euros, whereas its revenue amounted to 1.3 trillion euros. Non-tax revenue collected by the state came in majority from dividends, while it collected 70 billion euros by levying taxes on income and 140 billion euros through VAT in 2016.