In 2024, 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

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.

Worldwide, the ************* has, by far, the highest public debt, more than twice as high as ***** in second. ***** 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.

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.

The United States recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 124.30 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - United States Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

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.

• 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.

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.

Context

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to countries of the world for capital projects. The World Bank's stated goal is the reduction of poverty. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank

Content

This dataset contains both national and regional debt statistics captured by over 200 economic indicators. Time series data is available for those indicators from 1970 to 2015 for reporting countries.

For more information, see the World Bank website.

Fork this kernel to get started with this dataset.

Acknowledgements

https://bigquery.cloud.google.com/dataset/bigquery-public-data:world_bank_intl_debt

https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/public-data/world-bank-international-debt

Citation: The World Bank: International Debt Statistics

Dataset Source: World Bank. This dataset is publicly available for anyone to use under the following terms provided by the Dataset Source - http://www.data.gov/privacy-policy#data_policy - and is provided "AS IS" without any warranty, express or implied, from Google. Google disclaims all liability for any damages, direct or indirect, resulting from the use of the dataset.

Banner Photo by @till_indeman from Unplash.

Inspiration

What countries have the largest outstanding debt?

https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/images/outstanding-debt.png" alt="enter image description here"> https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/images/outstanding-debt.png

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt: Total Public Debt (GFDEBTN) from Q1 1966 to Q1 2025 about public, debt, federal, government, and USA.

Key information about US External Debt

• United States External Debt reached 25,798.1 USD bn in Sep 2024, compared with 26,895.8 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• US External Debt: USD mn data is updated quarterly, available from Jun 2003 to Sep 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 26,895.8 USD bn in Jun 2024 and a record low of 6,570.2 USD bn in Jun 2003.

• In the latest reports of US, Current Account recorded a deficit of 310.9 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 96.6 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• US Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 96.8 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 637.6 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 6,632.4 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Government Debt in the United States decreased to 36211469 USD Million in June from 36215818 USD Million in May of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Government Debt- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

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 **********, 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 *** percent of its gross domestic product.

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.

This statistic shows the national debt of Brazil from 2020 to 2023 in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP), with projections up until 2030. The figures refer to the whole country and include the debts of the state, the communities, the municipalities and the social insurances. In 2023, the national debt of Brazil amounted to approximately 84 percent of the GDP. Brazil's economy Brazil has one of the largest economies in the world by gross domestic product ) and Purchasing Power Parity. In 2014, the Brazil's gross domestic product amounted to around 2.24 trillion U.S. dollars. However, it is estimated that by 2030, Brazil will have the fourth highest gross domestic product in the world. In 2014, the United States reported the largest gross domestic product worldwide. However, the estimated national debt of the United States in 2014 was over 105 percent of the gross domestic product, while the estimated national debt of Brazil was approximately 66 percent the same year. Even though the national debt of Brazil has slightly decreased over the last decade, it still remains relatively high. A country's national debt refers to the whole country and includes the debts of the state, the communities, the municipalities and the social insurances. In Brazil, the high national debt is also due to country's trade deficit. In 2013, Brazil’s trade deficit amounted to an estimated 3.3 percent of the GDP, adding up to approximately 8.3 billion U.S. dollars in total.

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.

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

The average for 2022 based on 9 countries was 9.05 percent. The highest value was in Argentina: 18.6 percent and the lowest value was in Guyana: 2.62 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Tonga TO: Gross Public Debt: General Government: Domestic Creditors data was reported at 55.900 TOP mn in Mar 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 56.100 TOP mn for Dec 2016. Tonga TO: Gross Public Debt: General Government: Domestic Creditors data is updated quarterly, averaging 29.500 TOP mn from Sep 2009 (Median) to Mar 2017, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 56.600 TOP mn in Sep 2016 and a record low of 22.450 TOP mn in Sep 2009. Tonga TO: Gross Public Debt: General Government: Domestic Creditors data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Tonga – Table TO.World Bank.QPSD: Gross Public Debt: General Government.

Venezuela VE: External Debt: NFL: Net Financial Flows: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) data was reported at 0.000 USD mn in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 USD mn for 2016. Venezuela VE: External Debt: NFL: Net Financial Flows: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) data is updated yearly, averaging -7.427 USD mn from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2017, with 48 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 839.995 USD mn in 1990 and a record low of -191.364 USD mn in 2004. Venezuela VE: External Debt: NFL: Net Financial Flows: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Venezuela – Table VE.World Bank.WDI: External Debt: Net Flows and Net Transfers. Net financial flows received by the borrower during the year are disbursements of loans and credits less repayments of principal. IBRD is the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the founding and largest member of the World Bank Group. Data are in current U.S. dollars.; ; World Bank, International Debt Statistics.; Sum;