Key information about Italy Government Debt: % of GDP

• Italy Government debt accounted for 138.0 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2025, compared with the ratio of 138.6 % in the previous quarter.
• Italy government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Dec 1995 to Sep 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 157.7 % in Mar 2021 and a record low of 103.5 % 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 3,615.5 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 659.7 USD bn in Sep 2025.

Among the largest economies worldwide, Italy has the highest public debt interest payment to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio. In 2023, Italy paid *** percent of its GDP in public debt interest payments. Among the countries in the list, Japan had the lowest public debt interest payment to GDP ratio, at **** 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.

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.

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.

Italy's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) amounted to 2.2 trillion euros in 2024. The Italian economy grew at low rates between 2010 and 2019 and significantly shrank in 2020 following the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy. However, since 2021, GDP has recorded a steady uprise, with remarkably higher growth rates compared to the pre-pandemic period. A difficult outlook for the Italian economy Besides the positive performance recorded right after the COVID-19 pandemic, projections indicate a different outlook. The slow growth of the Italian economy, less than one percent each year from 2025 to 2029, is believed to remove Italy from the giants of the global players. Indeed, by 2028, the ranking of the world's largest economies might appear quite different from the present one. In addition to slow growth, Italy's economy is characterized by large internal disparities. After 160 years of national unity, the country is still very divided, as data on unemployment, GDP, and poverty confirm. National debt: Italy's most difficult challenge Italy still ranks among the top 20 largest economies in the world. However, the large amount of the national debt risks hampering future growth. In 2024, it reached 135 percent of the GDP, equivalent to 3.2 trillion U.S. dollars, and forecasts expect figures to increase over the coming years. By 2029, the debt-to-GDP ratio may hit 137 percent. A large amount of national debt significantly limits the government's possibility to earmark resources for public investments. In fact, a considerable share of the state budget is devoted to reimbursing the debt.

This statistic shows the gross domestic product (GDP) in Italy from 1987 to 2024 with projections up until 2030. GDP refers to the total market value of all goods and services that are produced within a country per year. It is an important indicator of the economic strength of a country. In 2024, the GDP in Italy was about 2.37 trillion U.S. dollars. See global GDP for a global comparison. Italy's economy After increasing significantly year-over-year, Italy’s gross domestic product (GDP) has gone through several fluctuations since the global economic crisis in 2008. The European Union’s third largest economy has experienced downturns, primarily due to inefficiency with regards to spending and incompetent leadership. When analyzing the country’s budget balance, which is essentially the overall difference between revenues and spending, Italy has posted a negative balance, or a state deficit, every year over the past decade. However, their budget balance has improved noticeably every year since 2009. Since the country spent more than they earned, national debt continued to rise every year, most notably between 2008 and 2009, and continued to do so going into 2014. Italy’s dependency on funding from other countries will lead to further debt, unless it finds a way to decrease spending or increase revenues. Despite the country’s ongoing recession, Italy’s GDP ranked the country in the top 10 countries with the largest gross domestic product in 2014, ahead of economically developed countries such as Canada and Australia. This implies that Italy’s economical struggles are more a result of inefficient spending rather than a lack of production.

Government debt as a share of gross domestic product has risen for almost all of Europe's largest economies since the mid-20th century. While until the 1970s it was common for European countries to have debt levels of less than 20 percent of their GDP, with the onset of economic crises related to international financial instability and oil price shocks, the long-term slowdown of economic growth in Europe, and the substantial public spending burdens which states had incurred due to the expansion of welfare and social services, European governments began to amass significant amounts of debt.

Which European countries are the most indebted? Italy stands out as the country in Europe which has experienced the largest secular increase in its government debt level, with the southern European country having debt worth 1.4 times its GDP in 2022. Spain, the United Kingdom, and France have also experienced long-run increase in their debt levels to between 90 and 100 percent in 2022. Germany and Turkey, on the other hand, have experienced more gradual increases in their public debt, with both countries having debt worth less than half their GDP. Russia stands as an outlier, due to the fact that its debt level has fallen dramatically since the 1990s. After the eastern European country's transition from communism and particularly after the financial crisis it experienced in 1998, the Russian state has severely cut back on public expenditure, while also having little need to borrow due to the state ownership of the country's vast natural resources.

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.

The Fiscal Monitor surveys and analyzes the latest public finance developments, it updates fiscal implications of the crisis and medium-term fiscal projections, and assesses policies to put public finances on a sustainable footing.

Country-specific data and projections for key fiscal variables are based on the April 2020 World Economic Outlook database, unless indicated otherwise, and compiled by the IMF staff. Historical data and projections are based on information gathered by IMF country desk officers in the context of their missions and through their ongoing analysis of the evolving situation in each country; they are updated on a continual basis as more information becomes available. Structural breaks in data may be adjusted to produce smooth series through splicing and other techniques. IMF staff estimates serve as proxies when complete information is unavailable. As a result, Fiscal Monitor data can differ from official data in other sources, including the IMF's International Financial Statistics.

The country classification in the Fiscal Monitor divides the world into three major groups: 35 advanced economies, 40 emerging market and middle-income economies, and 40 low-income developing countries. The seven largest advanced economies as measured by GDP (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States) constitute the subgroup of major advanced economies, often referred to as the Group of Seven (G7). The members of the euro area are also distinguished as a subgroup. Composite data shown in the tables for the euro area cover the current members for all years, even though the membership has increased over time. Data for most European Union member countries have been revised following the adoption of the new European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA 2010). The low-income developing countries (LIDCs) are countries that have per capita income levels below a certain threshold (currently set at $2,700 in 2016 as measured by the World Bank's Atlas method), structural features consistent with limited development and structural transformation, and external financial linkages insufficiently close to be widely seen as emerging market economies. Zimbabwe is included in the group. Emerging market and middle-income economies include those not classified as advanced economies or low-income developing countries. See Table A, "Economy Groupings," for more details.

Most fiscal data refer to the general government for advanced economies, while for emerging markets and developing economies, data often refer to the central government or budgetary central government only (for specific details, see Tables B-D). All fiscal data refer to the calendar years, except in the cases of Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, and Thailand, for which they refer to the fiscal year.

Composite data for country groups are weighted averages of individual-country data, unless otherwise specified. Data are weighted by annual nominal GDP converted to U.S. dollars at average market exchange rates as a share of the group GDP.

In many countries, fiscal data follow the IMF's Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014. The overall fiscal balance refers to net lending (+) and borrowing ("") of the general government. In some cases, however, the overall balance refers to total revenue and grants minus total expenditure and net lending.

The fiscal gross and net debt data reported in the Fiscal Monitor are drawn from official data sources and IMF staff estimates. While attempts are made to align gross and net debt data with the definitions in the IMF's Government Finance Statistics Manual, as a result of data limitations or specific country circumstances, these data can sometimes deviate from the formal definitions.

The statistic shows Japan's national debt from 2020 to 2023 in relation to gross domestic product (GDP), with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the national debt of Japan amounted to about 236.1 percent of the gross domestic product. An eye on Japan’s national debt Japan’s national debt ranks first among countries with the highest debt levels in the world, far surpassing the debt levels of Greece - which ranks number two - whose financial crisis has been in the spotlight recently. Italy is third, followed by Jamaica, Lebanon and Enritrea. Currently, Japan’s national debt amounts more than a thousand trillion yen and the country’s debt is predicted to keep rising for the foreseeable future, albeit only slightly. Japan’s national debt is not without consequence for the global economy, because the country claims the fourth-largest share in global gross domestic product. Therefore, the effects on the global economy would and could have a much greater global impact than that of a country such as Greece - considering its share of the global economy adjusted for purchase power parity was less than 0.29 percent in 2011. The debt levels of China, the United States and India should also be watched closely as they together make up the largest share of global GDP. At the moment, Japan’s inflation rate is among the lowest in the world, but as Japan attempts to reduce its national debt, this could change.

From 2001 to 2024, Japan’s debt-to-GDP ratio has remained the highest among major economies, being consistently above *** percent since around 2010. Italy, the United States, and Canada also exhibit high ratios, with Italy nearing *** percent by 2024. In contrast, Germany, Australia, and China maintain lower ratios, generally below 100 percent, indicating comparatively lower debt levels relative to economic output. A sharp increase in debt levels was visible around 2020 across most countries, reflecting economic challenges during that period.

This statistic shows the percentage change on the previous year for general government consolidated gross debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) in Italy from 2011 to 2017. The largest change in this period occurred in 2012 when there was an increase of 5.1 percent.

The statistic shows the gross national debt of the United States from 2019 to 2024 in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP), with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the national debt of the United States was at around 120.79 percent of the gross domestic product. See the US GDP for further information. US finances There has been a dramatic increase in the public debt of the United States since 1990, although the month-to-month change has been quite stable over the last few months. Public debt is defined as the amount of money borrowed by a country to cover budget deficits. A ranking of individual state debt in the United States shows that California is leading by a clear margin, with more than double the amount of runner-up New York. Vermont, North Dakota and South Dakota are the states with the lowest amount of debt. Even before the recession of 2008, the national debt of the United States had been increasing steadily and excessively, and it is predicted to rise even further. Budget cuts and fewer job opportunities as a result of the crisis are taking their toll on the American economy, which is still recovering. Trade figures as well as unemployment are still below average. Subsequently, the national debt and the national debt of the United States per capita have more or less quadrupled since the 1990s. Interestingly, the United States is not even among the top ten of countries with the highest public debt in relation to gross domestic product in international comparison. Japan, Greece and Italy – among others – report far higher figures than the United States.

This statistic shows the national debt of Greece from 2020 to 2023, with projections until 2030. In 2023, the national debt in Greece was around 420.4 billion U.S. dollars. In a ranking of debt to GDP per country, Greece is currently ranked third. Greece's struggle after the financial crisis Greece is a developed country in the EU and is highly dependent on its service sector as well as its tourism sector in order to gain profits. After going through a large economic boom from the 1950s to the 1970s as well as somewhat high GDP growth in the early to mid 2000s, Greece’s economy took a turn for the worse and struggled intensively, primarily due to the Great Recession, the Euro crisis as well as its own debt crisis. National debt within the country saw significant gains over the past decades, however roughly came to a halt due to financial rescue packages issued from the European Union in order to help Greece maintain and improve their economical situation. The nation’s continuous rise in debt has overwhelmed its estimated GDP over the years, which can be attributed to poor government execution and unnecessary spending. Large sums of financial aid were taken from major European banks to help balance out these government-induced failures and to potentially help refuel the economy to encourage more spending, which in turn would decrease the country’s continuously rising unemployment rate. Investors, consumers and workers alike are struggling to see a bright future in Greece, whose chances of an economic comeback are much lower than that of other struggling countries such as Portugal and Italy. However, Greece's financial situation might improve in the future, as it is estimated that at least its national debt will decrease - slowly, but steadily. Still, since its future participation in the European Union is in limbo as of now, these figures can only be estimates, not predictions.

The snapshot provided by Prometeia about the economic situation throughout different Italian areas highlights that disparities are a serious issue in the country. Comparing the indexed GDP per capita in 2005, 2015, and 2025 it comes out not only that in the ***** of Italy the GDP per capita has always been twofold likened to the *****, but also that the gap is expected to further increase in 2025. In like manner, in 2018, the ******** regions ****************************** were the ones with the lowest GDP per capita, whereas at the top five of the ranking only ******** Italian regions could be found. Unemployment rates by macro-region The situation was not much different pertaining to unemployment. In 2020, the unemployment rate in the North oscillated between *** and *** percent, while in the South the rate reached **** percent. Overall, the estimated figures for 2021 and 2022 were not optimistic, given that the unemployment rate was expected to increase throughout Italy. However, the growth was forecasted to be more remarkable in the South than in the rest of the country. Italian economy  Undoubtedly, the economic crisis that occurred in Italy in 2008 together with its long-term repercussions contributed to accentuate already existing regional gaps. Currently, Italy is one of Europe’s largest economies. However, in 2018, it also was among the EU countries with the lowest GDP growth. Furthermore, in 2019, Italy was the sixth state with the highest public debt in relation to the gross domestic product worldwide.

France, Italy, Germany, and Spain are the four member states of the European Union with the largest government debts in absolute terms. These countries' debts range from around 1.5 trillion euros for Spain, to closer to three trillion euros for France. The absolute value of a countries debt can be a misleading indicator, as countries with larger economies and population naturally tend to have larger absolute debt burdens - therefore, to see how capable a country is of servicing or paying off its debt, it is better to look at the ratio of its debt compared to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

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.

Mortgage interest rates worldwide varied greatly in June 2025, from less than ******percent in many European countries to as high as ***percent in Turkey. The average mortgage rate in a country depends on the central bank's base lending rate and macroeconomic indicators such as inflation and forecast economic growth. Since 2022, inflationary pressures have led to rapid increases in mortgage interest rates. Which are the leading mortgage markets? An easy way to estimate the importance of the mortgage sector in each country is by comparing household debt depth, or the ratio of the debt held by households compared to the county's GDP. In 2024, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada had some of the highest household debt to GDP ratios worldwide. While this indicator shows the size of the sector relative to the country’s economy, the value of mortgages outstanding allows to compare the market size in different countries. In Europe, for instance, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France were the largest mortgage markets by outstanding mortgage lending. Mortgage lending trends in the U.S. In the United States, new mortgage lending soared in 2021. This was largely due to the growth of new refinance loans that allow homeowners to renegotiate their mortgage terms and replace their existing loan with a more favorable one. Following the rise in interest rates, the mortgage market cooled, and refinance loans declined.