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Central government debt
What this indicator measures
What the central government owes in total, compared with what the country produces in one year.
How to read this?
100% means the debt equals a full year of the country's output. The higher it is, the more indebted the state is.
Ranking : ranked from lowest to highest
In brief
The "Central government debt" ranking covers 109 countries and territories. Lowest value: United Arab Emirates (1.8 %). Highest value: Sudan (865.9 %). Median: 51.2 % (data: 1990–2024). The top 10% of countries exceed 106 %, while the bottom 10% stay below 15.7 %. By continent, the median is highest in South America (66.8 %) and lowest in Europe (39.9 %).
Median by continent
- South America 66.8 % (6)
- North America 57.7 % (15)
- Africa 51.2 % (21)
- Asia 47.8 % (28)
- Oceania 47.5 % (10)
- Europe 39.9 % (26)
Why this indicator matters
This indicator compares what the central government owes with what the country produces in a year. It helps judge a government's room to borrow, invest or deal with a crisis. It is a reference closely watched by investors.
What makes this indicator vary
Debt climbs when the state spends more than it collects in taxes, especially during crises, wars or stimulus plans. It falls with strong growth, balanced budgets or inflation that eases the weight of old loans. The level of interest rates also matters.
Reading precautions
It covers central government debt, not that of local authorities, companies or households. Definitions and scope vary by country. High debt is not always dangerous if the state borrows easily and in its own currency.
Full ranking
ranked from lowest to highest
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1er | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 1.8 % | 2013 |
| 2e | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 2.9 % | 1993 |
| 3e | 🇱🇸 Lesotho | 3 % | 2020 |
| 4e | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 4.7 % | 2015 |
| 5e | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 5.7 % | 1994 |
| 6e | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 6.4 % | 2010 |
| 7e | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 7.4 % | 1994 |
| 8e | 🇸🇴 Somalia | 12.7 % | 2024 |
| 9e | 🇨🇱 Chile | 13.1 % | 2000 |
| 10e | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 14 % | 1994 |
| 11e | 🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa | 14.9 % | 2022 |
| 12e | 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | 15.9 % | 2007 |
| 13e | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 16.2 % | 1994 |
| 14e | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 16.4 % | 1999 |
| 15e | 🇷🇺 Russia | 17.9 % | 2024 |
| 16e | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 19.7 % | 2023 |
| 17e | 🇩🇪 Germany | 20.9 % | 1990 |
| 18e | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 20.9 % | 2023 |
| 19e | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 22.3 % | 2024 |
| 20e | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 25.2 % | 2013 |
| 21e | 🇨🇬 Congo - Brazzaville | 25.5 % | 2010 |
| 22e | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 25.5 % | 2024 |
| 23e | 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 26 % | 2024 |
| 24e | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 27.4 % | 2018 |
| 25e | 🇫🇲 Micronesia | 27.8 % | 2020 |
| 26e | 🇲🇹 Malta | 30 % | 1994 |
| 27e | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 30 % | 2009 |
| 28e | 🇳🇴 Norway | 30.9 % | 1994 |
| 29e | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 31.2 % | 2003 |
| 30e | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 31.4 % | 2019 |
| 31e | 🇧🇾 Belarus | 33.2 % | 2019 |
| 32e | 🇵🇪 Peru | 35.2 % | 2021 |
| 33e | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 35.7 % | 2021 |
| 34e | 🇫🇯 Fiji | 36.6 % | 1994 |
| 35e | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 37.5 % | 2024 |
| 36e | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 38.7 % | 2024 |
| 37e | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 39.3 % | 2001 |
| 38e | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 39.7 % | 2024 |
| 39e | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 39.9 % | 2021 |
| 40e | 🇦🇩 Andorra | 40 % | 2024 |
| 41e | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 40.1 % | 2024 |
| 42e | 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands | 41.6 % | 2019 |
| 43e | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 42.5 % | 2012 |
| 44e | 🇹🇴 Tonga | 43.1 % | 2020 |
| 45e | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | 43.3 % | 2024 |
| 46e | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 43.4 % | 2014 |
| 47e | 🇱🇨 St. Lucia | 45.9 % | 2010 |
| 48e | 🇮🇳 India | 46.5 % | 2018 |
| 49e | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 47.8 % | 2024 |
| 50e | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 47.9 % | 2024 |
| 51e | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 48.4 % | 1992 |
| 52e | 🇦🇱 Albania | 50 % | 2024 |
| 53e | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 50.3 % | 2024 |
| 54e | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 50.3 % | 2023 |
| 55e | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 51.2 % | 2011 |
| 56e | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 52 % | 2024 |
| 57e | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 52 % | 2024 |
| 58e | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 53.7 % | 1994 |
| 59e | 🇻🇨 St. Vincent & Grenadines | 53.7 % | 2009 |
| 60e | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 54.2 % | 1994 |
| 61e | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 54.4 % | 2024 |
| 62e | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 55 % | 2000 |
| 63e | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 57.1 % | 2019 |
| 64e | 🇲🇻 Maldives | 57.3 % | 2011 |
| 65e | 🇰🇳 St. Kitts & Nevis | 57.7 % | 2014 |
| 66e | 🇦🇺 Australia | 57.9 % | 2022 |
| 67e | 🇫🇮 Finland | 58.3 % | 1994 |
| 68e | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 58.7 % | 2020 |
| 69e | 🇵🇱 Poland | 60.5 % | 1994 |
| 70e | 🇧🇿 Belize | 61 % | 2014 |
| 71e | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 61.8 % | 2023 |
| 72e | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 61.9 % | 2024 |
| 73e | 🇨🇦 Canada | 64.1 % | 2024 |
| 74e | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 64.2 % | 2024 |
| 75e | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 64.6 % | 2024 |
| 76e | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 65.3 % | 2024 |
| 77e | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 67.9 % | 2023 |
| 78e | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 68.3 % | 2001 |
| 79e | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 71.2 % | 2024 |
| 80e | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 71.4 % | 2021 |
| 81e | 🇧🇸 Bahamas | 71.5 % | 2024 |
| 82e | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 71.8 % | 2024 |
| 83e | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 73.5 % | 2015 |
| 84e | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 75.3 % | 1994 |
| 85e | 🇮🇹 Italy | 77.3 % | 1992 |
| 86e | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 79.5 % | 1999 |
| 87e | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 79.8 % | 2001 |
| 88e | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 80.1 % | 2023 |
| 89e | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 81.9 % | 2024 |
| 90e | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 82 % | 2024 |
| 91e | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 82.8 % | 2024 |
| 92e | 🇵🇼 Palau | 85.2 % | 2019 |
| 93e | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 85.8 % | 2007 |
| 94e | 🇮🇱 Israel | 88.3 % | 1999 |
| 95e | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 93.6 % | 2023 |
| 96e | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 97.9 % | 2020 |
| 97e | 🇸🇲 San Marino | 99.9 % | 2023 |
| 98e | 🇪🇸 Spain | 105.6 % | 2024 |
| 99e | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 107.3 % | 2024 |
| 100e | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | 111 % | 2020 |
| 101e | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 111.6 % | 2020 |
| 102e | 🇺🇸 United States | 115.8 % | 2024 |
| 103e | 🇧🇧 Barbados | 125 % | 2016 |
| 104e | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 128.6 % | 1999 |
| 105e | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 130.7 % | 2024 |
| 106e | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 167.8 % | 2024 |
| 107e | 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire | 171.1 % | 1995 |
| 108e | 🇸🇨 Seychelles | 174.7 % | 2008 |
| 109e | 🇸🇩 Sudan | 865.9 % | 1999 |
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest value for "Central government debt"?
The highest value is in Sudan, at 865.9 % (1999).
Which country has the lowest value for "Central government debt"?
The lowest value is in United Arab Emirates, at 1.8 % (2013).
What is the world median value of "Central government debt"?
The world median is 51.2 %, calculated across 109 countries: half of the countries are above it, the other half below.
Where does the "Central government debt" data come from?
It comes from Banque mondiale – Indicateurs du développement dans le monde (GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS). Site last updated: November 8, 2026. Each country is shown with the year of its most recent value.
What does public debt as a percentage of GDP mean?
The total the state owes is compared with the wealth the country produces in a year. This makes it possible to compare countries of different sizes and to estimate the ability to repay.
Is high debt necessarily a problem?
No. What matters is lender confidence, the cost of interest and growth. A country can bear substantial debt if it borrows at low rates and its economy is growing.
Source and update
Source : Banque mondiale – Indicateurs du développement dans le monde (GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS). Site last updated: November 8, 2026.
Indicators in the same category : Public finances
- Government final consumptionWhat the government spends to run public services (salaries, supplies and so on), compared with the country's wealth.
- Research and development spendingWhat the country (government and businesses) invests in research and innovation, compared with its wealth.
- Military spendingWhat the country spends on its armed forces, compared with its wealth.
- Central government spendingWhat the central government spends each year (salaries, pensions, roads, health and so on), compared with the size of the economy.
- Share of income taxes in government revenueCitizens and companies pay taxes to the state. This indicator shows what share of central government revenue comes from taxes on income, corporate profits and capital gains, rather than from other revenue (sales taxes, customs duties, grants, etc.).
- Tax revenueThe taxes and duties collected by the central government, compared with the size of the economy.
- Budget balanceThe difference between what the government takes in and what it spends, compared with the size of the economy.