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

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 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

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal. There is also a consolidated country dataset on HDX.

Debt statistics provide a detailed picture of debt stocks and flows of developing countries. Data presented as part of the Quarterly External Debt Statistics takes a closer look at the external debt of high-income countries and emerging markets to enable a more complete understanding of global financial flows. The Quarterly Public Sector Debt database provides further data on public sector valuation methods, debt instruments, and clearly defined tiers of debt for central, state and local government, as well as extra-budgetary agencies and funds. Data are gathered from national statistical organizations and central banks as well as by various major multilateral institutions and World Bank staff.

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 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.

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.

Key information about China Government Debt: % of GDP

• China Government debt accounted for 25.6 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with the ratio of 25.1 % in the previous quarter.
• China government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2014 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 25.6 % in Dec 2024 and a record low of 14.0 % in Mar 2014.

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. The National Bureau of Statistics provides Nominal GDP in local currency. Government Debt covers Central Government only.


Related information about China Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, China National Government Debt reached 4,230.0 USD bn in Dec 2023.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 4,166.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.

This horizontal bar chart displays central government debt (% of GDP) by country full name and is filtered where the country is Colombia. The data is about countries per year.

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal. There is also a consolidated country dataset on HDX.

Debt statistics provide a detailed picture of debt stocks and flows of developing countries. Data presented as part of the Quarterly External Debt Statistics takes a closer look at the external debt of high-income countries and emerging markets to enable a more complete understanding of global financial flows. The Quarterly Public Sector Debt database provides further data on public sector valuation methods, debt instruments, and clearly defined tiers of debt for central, state and local government, as well as extra-budgetary agencies and funds. Data are gathered from national statistical organizations and central banks as well as by various major multilateral institutions and World Bank staff.

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.

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal. There is also a consolidated country dataset on HDX.

Debt statistics provide a detailed picture of debt stocks and flows of developing countries. Data presented as part of the Quarterly External Debt Statistics takes a closer look at the external debt of high-income countries and emerging markets to enable a more complete understanding of global financial flows. The Quarterly Public Sector Debt database provides further data on public sector valuation methods, debt instruments, and clearly defined tiers of debt for central, state and local government, as well as extra-budgetary agencies and funds. Data are gathered from national statistical organizations and central banks as well as by various major multilateral institutions and World Bank staff.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by Foreign and International Investors as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (HBFIGDQ188S) from Q1 1970 to Q4 2024 about foreign, debt, federal, GDP, and USA.

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.

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.