Countries by Government Debt (% GDP)
Complete ranking of 200 countries • % of GDP • Data refreshed May 28, 2026
Leader
Japan
Field size
200 countries
Lowest rank
Macao
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About Central Government Debt Rankings
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
Highest Central Government Debt
The 5 strongest Central Government Debt reads.
Lowest Central Government Debt
The 5 lowest Central Government Debt reads.
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.