Japan recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 236.70 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Japan Government Debt to GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Key information about Japan Government Debt: % of GDP

• Japan Government debt accounted for 212.1 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2025, compared with the ratio of 213.9 % in the previous quarter.
• Japan government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Dec 1994 to Sep 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 225.8 % in Mar 2021 and a record low of 55.9 % in Dec 1994.

CEIC calculates quarterly Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Government Debt and rolling sum of quarterly Nominal GDP. The Bank of Japan provides Government Debt in local currency. The Economic and Social Research Institute provides Nominal GDP in local currency. Government Debt covers Central Government only.


Related information about Japan Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, Japan National Government Debt reached 9,012.6 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 1,077.6 USD bn in Sep 2025.

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.

Graph and download economic data for General government gross debt for Japan (GGGDTAJPA188N) from 1980 to 2023 about Japan, debt, gross, and government.

In 2024, net government debt in Japan accounted for ***** percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). The share reached a record high in 2020.

The statistic shows the national debt of Japan from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. The amount of Japan's national debt in 2024 amounted to about 1,436.5 trillion yen. In a ranking of debt to GDP per country, Japan is thus currently ranked first. Japan's economic power With one of the largest gross domestic products (GDP), Japan is among the largest economies in the world. However, ever since the global financial crisis, Japan's GDP - like many others - has been slightly unstable; Japan even reported a negative GDP growth in comparison to the previous year in 2011 and in 2014. Still, it is estimated that gross domestic product in Japan will continue to thrive over the next decade. One indicator is Japan's inflation rate: Despite the aforementioned economic slumps, Japan has managed to maintain one of the lowest inflation rates in the world, and it also reduced its unemployment rate. Between 2010 and 2013, the unemployment rate in Japan decreased by approximately one percent, and it is expected to drop even lower over the next years. Recently, Japan has been reporting a trade deficit, meaning the value of its imports exceeds the value of its exports. Most of these imports have come from China and the United States. The trade deficit is one of the causes for in an increase of the national debt. It is estimated that the national debt in relation to the GDP will increase further until 2020.

Monthly and long-term Japan Public Debt data: historical series and analyst forecasts curated by FocusEconomics.

Actual value and historical data chart for Japan Central Government Debt Total Percent Of GDP

Key information about Japan Total Debt: % of GDP

• Japan Total Debt accounted for 1,227.8 % of the country's GDP in 2025, compared with the ratio of 1,255.0 % in the previous quarter.
• Japan Total Debt: % of GDP data is updated quarterly, available from Jun 1998 to Jun 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 1,340.4 % in Jun 2022 and a record low of 892.0 % in Jun 1998.

CEIC calculates quarterly Total Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Total Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. Total Debt is calculated as Total Liabilities less Equity & Investment Fund Shares and Financial Derivatives for Financial Corporations, Non Financial Corporations, General Government, Households and NPISH sectors. The Bank of Japan provides Total Debt in local currency. Economic and Social Research Institute provides Nominal GDP in local currency.

Key information about Japan National Government Debt

• Japan National Government Debt reached 9,396.6 USD bn in Apr 2023, compared with 9,570.6 USD bn in the previous month.
• Japan National Government Debt data is updated monthly, available from Apr 1982 to Apr 2023.
• The data reached an all-time high of 12,619.3 USD bn in Sep 2012 and a record low of 422.2 USD bn in Oct 1982.

CEIC converts monthly Government Debt into USD. The Bank of Japan provides Government Debt in local currency. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Government Debt covers Central Government only.


Related information about Japan National Government Debt

• In the latest reports, Japan Consolidated Fiscal Balance recorded a deficit equal to 6.2 % of its Nominal GDP in Mar 2024.
• The country's Government debt accounted for 226.1 % of its Nominal GDP in Mar 2023.
• Japan Nominal GDP reached 1,080.1 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Outstanding Domestic Public Debt Securities to GDP for Japan (DDDM04JPA156NWDB) from 1997 to 2020 about public, Japan, debt, domestic, securities, and GDP.

Yearly (annual) dataset of the Japan Government Gross Debt to GDP, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 1980-12-31 to 2024-12-31. Available for free download in CSV format.

Japan JP: Central Government Debt: Total: % of GDP data was reported at 195.520 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 197.037 % for 2016. Japan JP: Central Government Debt: Total: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 124.032 % from Mar 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 197.037 % in 2016 and a record low of 38.854 % in 1992. Japan JP: Central Government Debt: Total: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Government Revenue, Expenditure and Finance. Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year.; ; International Monetary Fund, Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, and World Bank and OECD GDP estimates.; Weighted average;

Private Debt to GDP in Japan decreased to 169.90 percent in 2024 from 172.50 percent in 2023. Japan Private Debt to GDP - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on December of 2025.

In 2024, the gross government debt of Japan amounted to *** percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), compared to *** percent of the United States. This was an increase for both countries over 2001 levels, Meanwhile, Germany had the lowest government debt ratio at only ** percent.

JP: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government: Debt Securities data was reported at 194.945 % in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 194.778 % for Mar 2018. JP: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government: Debt Securities data is updated quarterly, averaging 132.489 % from Mar 1995 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 86 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 201.263 % in Jun 2016 and a record low of 54.177 % in Mar 1995. JP: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government: Debt Securities data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.QPSD: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government.

The graph shows national debt in China related to gross domestic product until 2024, with forecasts to 2030. In 2024, gross national debt ranged at around 88 percent of the national gross domestic product. The debt-to-GDP ratio In economics, the ratio between a country's government debt and its gross domestic product (GDP) is generally defined as the debt-to-GDP ratio. It is a useful indicator for investors to measure a country's ability to fulfill future payments on its debts. A low debt-to-GDP ratio also suggests that an economy produces and sells a sufficient amount of goods and services to pay back those debts. Among the important industrial and emerging countries, Japan displayed one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios. In 2024, the estimated national debt of Japan amounted to about 250 percent of its GDP, up from around 180 percent in 2004. One reason behind Japan's high debt load lies in its low annual GDP growth rate. Development in China China's national debt related to GDP grew slowly but steadily from around 23 percent in 2000 to 34 percent in 2012, only disrupted by the global financial crisis in 2008. In recent years, China increased credit financing to spur economic growth, resulting in higher levels of debt. China's real estate crisis and a difficult global economic environment require further stimulating measures by the government and will predictably lead to even higher debt growth in the years ahead.

In 2024, the net government debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio of Japan was estimated at about *** percent. The government debt ratio of the United States was over ** percent. Saudi Arabia, who had the lowest net debt, had a debt ratio of only **** percent.

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.

JP: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government: Debt Securities and Loans data was reported at 223.794 % in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 223.816 % for Mar 2018. JP: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government: Debt Securities and Loans data is updated quarterly, averaging 168.175 % from Mar 1995 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 86 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 231.601 % in Jun 2016 and a record low of 75.118 % in Mar 1995. JP: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government: Debt Securities and Loans data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.QPSD: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government.