Field Listing :: Public debt
This entry records the cumulative total of all government borrowings less repayments that are denominated in a country's home currency. Public debt should not be confused with external debt, which reflects the foreign currency liabilities of both the private and public sector and must be financed out of foreign exchange earnings.
Country Comparison to the World
Country
Public debt(% of GDP)
Albania
59.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
59.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Algeria
25.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
20% of GDP (2009 est.)
Angola
20.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
21.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Argentina
50.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
48.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
note: official data
Aruba
46.3% of GDP (2005)
Australia
22.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
22.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Austria
70.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
67.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Azerbaijan
4.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
6.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Bahrain
59.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
38.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Bangladesh
39.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
39.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Belgium
98.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
96.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Bhutan
57.8% of GDP (2009)
81.4% of GDP (2004)
Bolivia
39.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
42.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Botswana
22.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
18.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Brazil
60.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
59.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Bulgaria
16.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
15.5% of GDP (2009)
Cameroon
9.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
16.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Canada
34% of GDP (2010 est.)
29% of GDP (2009 est.)
Chile
6.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
6.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
China
17.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
16.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
Colombia
44.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
45.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Costa Rica
42.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
42% of GDP (2009 est.)
Croatia
55% of GDP (2010 est.)
46.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
Cuba
34.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
34.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Cyprus
61.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
58% of GDP (2009)
Denmark
46.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
41.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Dominica
78% of GDP (2009 est.)
85% of GDP (2006 est.)
Ecuador
23.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
19.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
Egypt
80.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
80.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
El Salvador
55% of GDP (2010 est.)
52.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Estonia
7.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
7.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Ethiopia
39.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
35.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
Finland
45.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
44% of GDP (2009 est.)
France
83.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
77.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Gabon
25.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
27.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Germany
78.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
72.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Ghana
59.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
55.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Gibraltar
7.5% of GDP (2008 est.)
13.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
Greece
144% of GDP (2010 est.)
126.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Guatemala
29.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
27.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
Honduras
26.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
23.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Hong Kong
18.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
37.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
Hungary
79.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
78.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Iceland
123.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
113.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
India
55.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
57.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Indonesia
26.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
27.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
Iran
16.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
16.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Ireland
94.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
65.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Israel
77.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
77.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Italy
118.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
115.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Jamaica
123.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
124.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
Japan
225.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
217.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Jordan
61.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
64.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Kazakhstan
16.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
14.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Kenya
50.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
46.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Korea, South
23.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
23.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Kosovo
NA% of GDP (2010)
7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Kuwait
12.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
13.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Latvia
46.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
36.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Lebanon
150.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
154.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Libya
3.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
3.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
Lithuania
36.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
29.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Luxembourg
16.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
14.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Macedonia
34.2% of GDP (November 2010 est.)
31.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Malawi
40.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
44.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Malaysia
53.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
53.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Malta
69.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
68.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Mauritius
60.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
62.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
Mexico
41.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
39.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Moldova
25% of GDP (2010 est.)
28.9% of GDP (2009)
Morocco
58.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
56.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
Mozambique
40.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
33.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
Namibia
20% of GDP (2010 est.)
15.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Netherlands
64.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
60.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
New Zealand
25.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
22.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Nicaragua
78% of GDP (2010 est.)
63% of GDP (2009 est.)
Nigeria
13.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
11.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Norway
47.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
49.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Oman
4.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
5.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Pakistan
49.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
49.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Panama
40% of GDP (September 2010 est.)
44.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Paraguay
22.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
24% of GDP (2009 est.)
Peru
23.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
27.2% of GDP (2009)
Philippines
56.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
57.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Poland
53.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
49.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Portugal
83.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
76.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Qatar
10.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
14% of GDP (2009 est.)
Romania
34.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
24% of GDP (2009 est.)
Russia
9.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
8.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Saudi Arabia
16.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
22.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Senegal
32.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
29.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Serbia
41.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
32.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
Seychelles
58.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
58.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Singapore
102.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
110% of GDP (2009 est.)
note: for Singapore, public debt consists largely of Singapore Government Securities (SGS) issued to assist the Central Provident Fund (CPF), which administers Singapore's defined contribution pension fund; special issues of SGS are held by the CPF, and are non-tradeable; the government has not borrowed to finance deficit expenditures since the 1980s
Slovakia
41% of GDP (2010 est.)
35.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Slovenia
35.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
31.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
South Africa
33.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
29.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Spain
63.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
53.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Sri Lanka
86.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
85.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Sudan
94.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
105.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Sweden
40.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
41.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Switzerland
38.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
40.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Syria
29.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
28.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Taiwan
33.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
33.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Tanzania
23.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
21.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
Thailand
42.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
44.9% of GDP (2009)
Tunisia
49.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
47.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Turkey
48.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
46.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Uganda
20.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
20.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Ukraine
38.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
30% of GDP (2009 est.)
United States
58.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
53.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
note: data cover only what the United States Treasury denotes as "Debt Held by the Public," which includes all debt instruments issued by the Treasury that are owned by non-US Government entities; the data include Treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by individual US states, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of Treasury borrowings from surpluses in the trusts for Federal Social Security, Federal Employees, Hospital Insurance (Medicare and Medicaid), Disability and Unemployment, and several other smaller trusts; if data for intra-government debt were added, "Gross Debt" would increase by about 30% of GDP
Uruguay
56% of GDP (September 2010 est.)
60% of GDP (2009 est.)
Uzbekistan
9% of GDP (2010 est.)
9.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Venezuela
25.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
18% of GDP (2009 est.)
Vietnam
56.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
52.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
World
59.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
56.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Yemen
39.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
36.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Zambia
24.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
25.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
Zimbabwe
149% of GDP (2010 est.)
162.5% of GDP (2009 est.)