Countries by Government Debt (% GDP)

Complete ranking of 200 countries • % of GDP • Updated 2026

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Japan leads all 200 countries in Central Government Debt with a value of 215.9% of GDP, while Macao ranks last at 0% of GDP. The gap between top and bottom reflects meaningful global variation.

What Central Government Debt Measures

Central government debt as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.

Why This Ranking Matters

Examining Central Government Debt across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.

Global Range

Values range from 0% of GDP (Macao) to 215.9% of GDP (Japan) — an infinitely large difference across 200 countries.

Regional Patterns

The top 20 is globally diverse, with countries from 4 continents represented. No single region dominates, suggesting this metric is driven more by national conditions than by broad continental patterns.

Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 35.7% of GDP to 73.1% of GDP. The overall spread from 0% of GDP to 215.9% of GDP reflects significant global variation.

Notable Outliers

The top of the ranking is competitive: Japan and Greece are separated by only 13%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data.

Continental Leaders

Asia

Japan

215.9% of GDP

Europe

Greece

190.6% of GDP

North America

Barbados

133.2% of GDP

Africa

Eritrea

132.8% of GDP

Oceania

Palau

85.2% of GDP

South America

Brazil

81.86% of GDP

Highest Central Government Debt

The 5 strongest Central Government Debt reads.

Japan215.9% of GDP Greece190.6% of GDP Singapore175.61% of GDP Lebanon146.8% of GDP Barbados133.2% of GDP

Lowest Central Government Debt

The 5 lowest Central Government Debt reads.

Macao0% of GDP Somalia0.00% of GDP Hong Kong0.10% of GDP Brunei2.80% of GDP Lesotho3.00% of GDP

Data Note

Rankings are based on the latest available data from World Bank Open Data, covering 200 of 249 countries and territories. Countries without data for this metric are excluded from the ranking. All values represent the most recently reported figures.

Top 10 Countries

1stJapan215.9% of GDP

2ndGreece190.6% of GDP

3rdSingapore175.61% of GDP

4thLebanon146.8% of GDP

5thBarbados133.2% of GDP

6thEritrea132.8% of GDP

7thItaly131.8% of GDP

8thUnited Kingdom131.07% of GDP

9thCongo128.7% of GDP

10thCabo Verde127.6% of GDP

Country Ladder

1stJapanAsia215.9% of GDP 2ndGreeceEurope190.6% of GDP 3rdSingaporeAsia175.61% of GDP 4thLebanonAsia146.8% of GDP 5thBarbadosNorth America133.2% of GDP 6thEritreaAfrica132.8% of GDP 7thItalyEurope131.8% of GDP 8thUnited KingdomEurope131.07% of GDP 9thCongoAfrica128.7% of GDP 10thCabo VerdeAfrica127.6% of GDP 11thPortugalEurope125.7% of GDP 12thUnited StatesNorth America118.11% of GDP 13thBahrainAsia111.6% of GDP 14thBhutanAsia111% of GDP 15thSpainEurope107.3% of GDP 16thJamaicaNorth America106.3% of GDP 17thEl SalvadorNorth America105.8% of GDP 18thEgyptAfrica103% of GDP 19thJordanAsia102.8% of GDP 20thMauritaniaAfrica100% of GDP 21stSan MarinoEurope99.87% of GDP 22ndSudanAfrica99.5% of GDP 23rdBelizeNorth America99% of GDP 24thFranceEurope98.5% of GDP 25thCyprusEurope97.5% of GDP 26thSao Tome and PrincipeAfrica93.1% of GDP 27thBelgiumEurope92.5% of GDP 28thSyriaAsia91.3% of GDP 29thSouth SudanAfrica86.6% of GDP 30thAntigua and BarbudaNorth America86.2% of GDP 31stPalauOceania85.2% of GDP 32ndArubaNorth America84.7% of GDP 33rdSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesNorth America82.8% of GDP 34thGambiaAfrica82.3% of GDP 35thGrenadaNorth America82% of GDP 36thAlbaniaEurope81.9% of GDP 37thBrazilSouth America81.86% of GDP 38thTogoAfrica81.6% of GDP 39thIcelandEurope80.7% of GDP 40thSouth AfricaAfrica79.45% of GDP 41stSri LankaAsia79.1% of GDP 42ndAustriaEurope78.3% of GDP 43rdSurinameNorth America75.8% of GDP 44thCroatiaEurope75.6% of GDP 45thAngolaAfrica75.3% of GDP 46thHungaryEurope75.3% of GDP 47thBahamasNorth America73.7% of GDP 48thSloveniaEurope73.6% of GDP 49thGhanaAfrica73.4% of GDP 50thSerbiaEurope73.1% of GDP 51stMozambiqueAfrica71.79% of GDP 52ndDominicaNorth America71.7% of GDP 53rdVanuatuOceania71.7% of GDP 54thColombiaNorth America71.48% of GDP 55thZambiaAfrica71.4% of GDP 56thZimbabweAfrica69.9% of GDP 57thSaint LuciaNorth America69.2% of GDP 58thYemenAsia68.1% of GDP 59thPakistanAsia67.6% of GDP 60thMontenegroEurope67.2% of GDP 61stUruguaySouth America66.4% of GDP 62ndNauruOceania65% of GDP 63rdCanadaNorth America64.9% of GDP 64thMoroccoAfrica64.9% of GDP 65thMalaysiaAsia64.3% of GDP 66thSlovakiaEurope64.3% of GDP 67thGabonAfrica64.2% of GDP 68thGermanyEurope63.9% of GDP 69thSeychellesAfrica63.6% of GDP 70thSaint Kitts and NevisNorth America62.9% of GDP 71stTunisiaAfrica62.3% of GDP 72ndThailandAsia62.2% of GDP 73rdMaldivesAsia61.7% of GDP 74thBurkina FasoAfrica61.3% of GDP 75thFinlandEurope61.3% of GDP 76thIsraelAsia59.6% of GDP 77thUkraineEurope58.7% of GDP 78thVietnamAsia58.5% of GDP 79thLaosAsia58.4% of GDP 80thAustraliaOceania58% of GDP 81stMauritiusAfrica58% of GDP 82ndGuinea-BissauAfrica57.9% of GDP 83rdNetherlandsEurope56.5% of GDP 84thCentral African RepublicAfrica56% of GDP 85thMalawiAfrica55.6% of GDP 86thArgentinaSouth America55% of GDP 87thSierra LeoneAfrica54.9% of GDP 88thNew ZealandOceania54.05% of GDP 89thKenyaAfrica53.2% of GDP 90thUgandaAfrica53.1% of GDP 91stSamoaOceania52.6% of GDP 92ndPapua New GuineaOceania52.4% of GDP 93rdChadAfrica52.4% of GDP 94thSouth KoreaAsia52.3% of GDP 95thRomaniaEurope50.9% of GDP 96thGuyanaNorth America50.7% of GDP 97thMaltaEurope50.7% of GDP 98thPolandEurope50.6% of GDP 99thCambodiaAsia50.3% of GDP 100thPuerto RicoNorth America50.1% of GDP 101stBeninAfrica49.7% of GDP 102ndBoliviaSouth America49% of GDP 103rdCosta RicaNorth America48.9% of GDP 104thBurundiAfrica48.4% of GDP 105thArmeniaEurope47.88% of GDP 106thSenegalAfrica47.8% of GDP 107thFijiOceania47.5% of GDP 108thTuvaluOceania47.2% of GDP 109thCôte d'IvoireAfrica47% of GDP 110thChinaAsia47% of GDP 111stOmanAsia46.9% of GDP 112ndQatarAsia46.7% of GDP 113rdIndiaAsia46.5% of GDP 114thU.S. Virgin IslandsNorth America45.9% of GDP 115thIrelandEurope45.4% of GDP 116thIndonesiaAsia45.34% of GDP 117thNigerAfrica45.2% of GDP 118thMexicoNorth America45.1% of GDP 119thTongaOceania43.9% of GDP 120thMongoliaAsia43.34% of GDP 121stEquatorial GuineaAfrica43.3% of GDP 122ndEcuadorSouth America43.2% of GDP 123rdCubaNorth America42.7% of GDP 124thTajikistanAsia42% of GDP 125thGuineaAfrica41.8% of GDP 126thMarshall IslandsOceania41.6% of GDP 127thAndorraEurope41.4% of GDP 128thKyrgyzstanAsia40.23% of GDP 129thGeorgiaEurope40.1% of GDP 130thBosnia and HerzegovinaEurope39.91% of GDP 131stNepalAsia39.9% of GDP 132ndPhilippinesAsia39.9% of GDP 133rdIranAsia39.5% of GDP 134thNorth MacedoniaEurope39.3% of GDP 135thVenezuelaNorth America38.9% of GDP 136thHondurasNorth America38.5% of GDP 137thMadagascarAfrica38.4% of GDP 138thTanzaniaAfrica38% of GDP 139thPanamaNorth America37.4% of GDP 140thRwandaAfrica37.3% of GDP 141stTrinidad and TobagoNorth America37% of GDP 142ndLithuaniaEurope36.9% of GDP 143rdSwedenEurope36.9% of GDP 144thCzechiaEurope36.8% of GDP 145thNorwayEurope36.5% of GDP 146thLatviaEurope36.3% of GDP 147thMaliAfrica36% of GDP 148thEswatiniAfrica35.9% of GDP 149thMyanmarAsia35.7% of GDP 150thTaiwanAsia35.7% of GDP 151stDenmarkEurope35.3% of GDP 152ndPeruSouth America35.2% of GDP 153rdDominican RepublicNorth America34.6% of GDP 154thMoldovaEurope34.3% of GDP 155thHaitiNorth America33.9% of GDP 156thDjiboutiAfrica33.7% of GDP 157thBangladeshAsia33.3% of GDP 158thNicaraguaNorth America33.3% of GDP 159thBelarusEurope33.2% of GDP 160thCameroonAfrica32.5% of GDP 161stGuamOceania32.1% of GDP 162ndGuatemalaNorth America31.56% of GDP 163rdEthiopiaAfrica31.4% of GDP 164thBulgariaEurope30.1% of GDP 165thEstoniaEurope28.3% of GDP 166thLiberiaAfrica28.3% of GDP 167thMicronesiaOceania27.8% of GDP 168thComorosAfrica27.7% of GDP 169thAlgeriaAfrica27.5% of GDP 170thIraqAsia27.4% of GDP 171stTurkeyEurope26.62% of GDP 172ndTurkmenistanAsia24.1% of GDP 173rdPalestineAsia23.8% of GDP 174thLuxembourgEurope23% of GDP 175thKiribatiOceania22.9% of GDP 176thChileSouth America21% of GDP 177thKazakhstanAsia20.9% of GDP 178thAnguillaNorth America20.8% of GDP 179thSwitzerlandEurope19.9% of GDP 180thUnited Arab EmiratesAsia19.7% of GDP 181stBotswanaAfrica19.6% of GDP 182ndNigeriaAfrica19.6% of GDP 183rdParaguaySouth America18.9% of GDP 184thRussiaEurope18.5% of GDP 185thAzerbaijanEurope16.8% of GDP 186thCongo, Democratic RepublicAfrica16% of GDP 187thSolomon IslandsOceania15.4% of GDP 188thSaudi ArabiaAsia13.1% of GDP 189thUzbekistanAsia10.5% of GDP 190thKuwaitAsia9.9% of GDP 191stAfghanistanAsia7.8% of GDP 192ndLibyaAfrica7.5% of GDP 193rdNew CaledoniaOceania6.5% of GDP 194thNamibiaAfrica4.6% of GDP 195thTimor-LesteAsia3.1% of GDP 196thLesothoAfrica3.0% of GDP 197thBruneiAsia2.8% of GDP 198thHong KongAsia0.10% of GDP 199thSomaliaAfrica0.00% of GDP 200thMacaoAsia0% of GDP

Government Debt (% GDP) ranking for 200 countries
				Percentile
1st	Japan	215.9% of GDP	Asia	100%
2nd	Greece	190.6% of GDP	Europe	100%
3rd	Singapore	175.61% of GDP	Asia	99%
4th	Lebanon	146.8% of GDP	Asia	99%
5th	Barbados	133.2% of GDP	North America	98%
6th	Eritrea	132.8% of GDP	Africa	98%
7th	Italy	131.8% of GDP	Europe	97%
8th	United Kingdom	131.07% of GDP	Europe	97%
9th	Congo	128.7% of GDP	Africa	96%
10th	Cabo Verde	127.6% of GDP	Africa	96%
11th	Portugal	125.7% of GDP	Europe	95%
12th	United States	118.11% of GDP	North America	95%
13th	Bahrain	111.6% of GDP	Asia	94%
14th	Bhutan	111% of GDP	Asia	94%
15th	Spain	107.3% of GDP	Europe	93%
16th	Jamaica	106.3% of GDP	North America	93%
17th	El Salvador	105.8% of GDP	North America	92%
18th	Egypt	103% of GDP	Africa	92%
19th	Jordan	102.8% of GDP	Asia	91%
20th	Mauritania	100% of GDP	Africa	91%
21st	San Marino	99.87% of GDP	Europe	90%
22nd	Sudan	99.5% of GDP	Africa	90%
23rd	Belize	99% of GDP	North America	89%
24th	France	98.5% of GDP	Europe	89%
25th	Cyprus	97.5% of GDP	Europe	88%
26th	Sao Tome and Principe	93.1% of GDP	Africa	88%
27th	Belgium	92.5% of GDP	Europe	87%
28th	Syria	91.3% of GDP	Asia	87%
29th	South Sudan	86.6% of GDP	Africa	86%
30th	Antigua and Barbuda	86.2% of GDP	North America	86%
31st	Palau	85.2% of GDP	Oceania	85%
32nd	Aruba	84.7% of GDP	North America	85%
33rd	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	82.8% of GDP	North America	84%
34th	Gambia	82.3% of GDP	Africa	84%
35th	Grenada	82% of GDP	North America	83%
36th	Albania	81.9% of GDP	Europe	83%
37th	Brazil	81.86% of GDP	South America	82%
38th	Togo	81.6% of GDP	Africa	82%
39th	Iceland	80.7% of GDP	Europe	81%
40th	South Africa	79.45% of GDP	Africa	81%
41st	Sri Lanka	79.1% of GDP	Asia	80%
42nd	Austria	78.3% of GDP	Europe	80%
43rd	Suriname	75.8% of GDP	North America	79%
44th	Croatia	75.6% of GDP	Europe	79%
45th	Angola	75.3% of GDP	Africa	78%
46th	Hungary	75.3% of GDP	Europe	78%
47th	Bahamas	73.7% of GDP	North America	77%
48th	Slovenia	73.6% of GDP	Europe	77%
49th	Ghana	73.4% of GDP	Africa	76%
50th	Serbia	73.1% of GDP	Europe	76%
51st	Mozambique	71.79% of GDP	Africa	75%
52nd	Dominica	71.7% of GDP	North America	75%
53rd	Vanuatu	71.7% of GDP	Oceania	74%
54th	Colombia	71.48% of GDP	North America	74%
55th	Zambia	71.4% of GDP	Africa	73%
56th	Zimbabwe	69.9% of GDP	Africa	73%
57th	Saint Lucia	69.2% of GDP	North America	72%
58th	Yemen	68.1% of GDP	Asia	72%
59th	Pakistan	67.6% of GDP	Asia	71%
60th	Montenegro	67.2% of GDP	Europe	71%
61st	Uruguay	66.4% of GDP	South America	70%
62nd	Nauru	65% of GDP	Oceania	70%
63rd	Canada	64.9% of GDP	North America	69%
64th	Morocco	64.9% of GDP	Africa	69%
65th	Malaysia	64.3% of GDP	Asia	68%
66th	Slovakia	64.3% of GDP	Europe	68%
67th	Gabon	64.2% of GDP	Africa	67%
68th	Germany	63.9% of GDP	Europe	67%
69th	Seychelles	63.6% of GDP	Africa	66%
70th	Saint Kitts and Nevis	62.9% of GDP	North America	66%
71st	Tunisia	62.3% of GDP	Africa	65%
72nd	Thailand	62.2% of GDP	Asia	65%
73rd	Maldives	61.7% of GDP	Asia	64%
74th	Burkina Faso	61.3% of GDP	Africa	64%
75th	Finland	61.3% of GDP	Europe	63%
76th	Israel	59.6% of GDP	Asia	63%
77th	Ukraine	58.7% of GDP	Europe	62%
78th	Vietnam	58.5% of GDP	Asia	62%
79th	Laos	58.4% of GDP	Asia	61%
80th	Australia	58% of GDP	Oceania	61%
81st	Mauritius	58% of GDP	Africa	60%
82nd	Guinea-Bissau	57.9% of GDP	Africa	60%
83rd	Netherlands	56.5% of GDP	Europe	59%
84th	Central African Republic	56% of GDP	Africa	59%
85th	Malawi	55.6% of GDP	Africa	58%
86th	Argentina	55% of GDP	South America	57%
87th	Sierra Leone	54.9% of GDP	Africa	57%
88th	New Zealand	54.05% of GDP	Oceania	56%
89th	Kenya	53.2% of GDP	Africa	56%
90th	Uganda	53.1% of GDP	Africa	56%
91st	Samoa	52.6% of GDP	Oceania	55%
92nd	Papua New Guinea	52.4% of GDP	Oceania	55%
93rd	Chad	52.4% of GDP	Africa	54%
94th	South Korea	52.3% of GDP	Asia	54%
95th	Romania	50.9% of GDP	Europe	53%
96th	Guyana	50.7% of GDP	North America	53%
97th	Malta	50.7% of GDP	Europe	52%
98th	Poland	50.6% of GDP	Europe	52%
99th	Cambodia	50.3% of GDP	Asia	51%
100th	Puerto Rico	50.1% of GDP	North America	51%
101st	Benin	49.7% of GDP	Africa	50%
102nd	Bolivia	49% of GDP	South America	50%
103rd	Costa Rica	48.9% of GDP	North America	49%
104th	Burundi	48.4% of GDP	Africa	49%
105th	Armenia	47.88% of GDP	Europe	48%
106th	Senegal	47.8% of GDP	Africa	48%
107th	Fiji	47.5% of GDP	Oceania	47%
108th	Tuvalu	47.2% of GDP	Oceania	47%
109th	Côte d'Ivoire	47% of GDP	Africa	46%
110th	China	47% of GDP	Asia	46%
111st	Oman	46.9% of GDP	Asia	45%
112nd	Qatar	46.7% of GDP	Asia	45%
113rd	India	46.5% of GDP	Asia	44%
114th	U.S. Virgin Islands	45.9% of GDP	North America	44%
115th	Ireland	45.4% of GDP	Europe	43%
116th	Indonesia	45.34% of GDP	Asia	43%
117th	Niger	45.2% of GDP	Africa	42%
118th	Mexico	45.1% of GDP	North America	42%
119th	Tonga	43.9% of GDP	Oceania	41%
120th	Mongolia	43.34% of GDP	Asia	41%
121st	Equatorial Guinea	43.3% of GDP	Africa	40%
122nd	Ecuador	43.2% of GDP	South America	40%
123rd	Cuba	42.7% of GDP	North America	39%
124th	Tajikistan	42% of GDP	Asia	39%
125th	Guinea	41.8% of GDP	Africa	38%
126th	Marshall Islands	41.6% of GDP	Oceania	38%
127th	Andorra	41.4% of GDP	Europe	37%
128th	Kyrgyzstan	40.23% of GDP	Asia	37%
129th	Georgia	40.1% of GDP	Europe	36%
130th	Bosnia and Herzegovina	39.91% of GDP	Europe	36%
131st	Nepal	39.9% of GDP	Asia	35%
132nd	Philippines	39.9% of GDP	Asia	35%
133rd	Iran	39.5% of GDP	Asia	34%
134th	North Macedonia	39.3% of GDP	Europe	34%
135th	Venezuela	38.9% of GDP	North America	33%
136th	Honduras	38.5% of GDP	North America	33%
137th	Madagascar	38.4% of GDP	Africa	32%
138th	Tanzania	38% of GDP	Africa	32%
139th	Panama	37.4% of GDP	North America	31%
140th	Rwanda	37.3% of GDP	Africa	31%
141st	Trinidad and Tobago	37% of GDP	North America	30%
142nd	Lithuania	36.9% of GDP	Europe	30%
143rd	Sweden	36.9% of GDP	Europe	29%
144th	Czechia	36.8% of GDP	Europe	28%
145th	Norway	36.5% of GDP	Europe	28%
146th	Latvia	36.3% of GDP	Europe	28%
147th	Mali	36% of GDP	Africa	27%
148th	Eswatini	35.9% of GDP	Africa	27%
149th	Myanmar	35.7% of GDP	Asia	26%
150th	Taiwan	35.7% of GDP	Asia	26%
151st	Denmark	35.3% of GDP	Europe	25%
152nd	Peru	35.2% of GDP	South America	25%
153rd	Dominican Republic	34.6% of GDP	North America	24%
154th	Moldova	34.3% of GDP	Europe	24%
155th	Haiti	33.9% of GDP	North America	23%
156th	Djibouti	33.7% of GDP	Africa	23%
157th	Bangladesh	33.3% of GDP	Asia	22%
158th	Nicaragua	33.3% of GDP	North America	22%
159th	Belarus	33.2% of GDP	Europe	21%
160th	Cameroon	32.5% of GDP	Africa	21%
161st	Guam	32.1% of GDP	Oceania	20%
162nd	Guatemala	31.56% of GDP	North America	20%
163rd	Ethiopia	31.4% of GDP	Africa	19%
164th	Bulgaria	30.1% of GDP	Europe	19%
165th	Estonia	28.3% of GDP	Europe	18%
166th	Liberia	28.3% of GDP	Africa	18%
167th	Micronesia	27.8% of GDP	Oceania	17%
168th	Comoros	27.7% of GDP	Africa	17%
169th	Algeria	27.5% of GDP	Africa	16%
170th	Iraq	27.4% of GDP	Asia	16%
171st	Turkey	26.62% of GDP	Europe	15%
172nd	Turkmenistan	24.1% of GDP	Asia	14%
173rd	Palestine	23.8% of GDP	Asia	14%
174th	Luxembourg	23% of GDP	Europe	14%
175th	Kiribati	22.9% of GDP	Oceania	13%
176th	Chile	21% of GDP	South America	13%
177th	Kazakhstan	20.9% of GDP	Asia	12%
178th	Anguilla	20.8% of GDP	North America	12%
179th	Switzerland	19.9% of GDP	Europe	11%
180th	United Arab Emirates	19.7% of GDP	Asia	11%
181st	Botswana	19.6% of GDP	Africa	10%
182nd	Nigeria	19.6% of GDP	Africa	10%
183rd	Paraguay	18.9% of GDP	South America	9%
184th	Russia	18.5% of GDP	Europe	9%
185th	Azerbaijan	16.8% of GDP	Europe	8%
186th	Congo, Democratic Republic	16% of GDP	Africa	8%
187th	Solomon Islands	15.4% of GDP	Oceania	7%
188th	Saudi Arabia	13.1% of GDP	Asia	7%
189th	Uzbekistan	10.5% of GDP	Asia	6%
190th	Kuwait	9.9% of GDP	Asia	6%
191st	Afghanistan	7.8% of GDP	Asia	5%
192nd	Libya	7.5% of GDP	Africa	5%
193rd	New Caledonia	6.5% of GDP	Oceania	4%
194th	Namibia	4.6% of GDP	Africa	4%
195th	Timor-Leste	3.1% of GDP	Asia	3%
196th	Lesotho	3.0% of GDP	Africa	3%
197th	Brunei	2.8% of GDP	Asia	2%
198th	Hong Kong	0.10% of GDP	Asia	2%
199th	Somalia	0.00% of GDP	Africa	1%
200th	Macao	0% of GDP	Asia	1%

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