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Public Sector

Central government debt, total (% of GDP)

Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

World Bank code: GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS • Data available for 81 countries • Latest year: 2024

In , Singapore led Central government debt, total (% of GDP) at 175.61.

The world median across 28 reporting countries was 58.31.

What this measures: Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

How "Public Sector" indicators are measured

Public sector indicators (government revenue, expenditure, debt) are compiled from IMF Government Finance Statistics and national budget reporting. Definitions of "general government" versus "central government" vary, so cross-country comparison requires checking the institutional coverage. Debt-to-GDP ratios are most useful in trend form rather than point-in-time comparison.

Distribution — 2024

Reporting
28 countries
Median
58.31
Mean
64.67
25th percentile
40.10
75th percentile
71.79
Range
12.66 – 175.61

World at a Glance — 2024

Every reporting country, grouped by region, shaded by value (quintile).

East Asia & PacificMalaysia: 64.57MYMongolia: 43.34MNNew Zealand: 52.25NZSingapore: 175.61SGThailand: 62.20THEurope & Central AsiaAlbania: 49.96ALAndorra: 40.03ADArmenia: 47.88AMBosnia and Herzegovina: 39.91BAGeorgia: 40.10GEHungary: 82.03HUKyrgyz Republic: 40.23KGRussian Federation: 17.95RUSpain: 105.64ESSwitzerland: 23.07CHTurkiye: 26.62TRUnited Kingdom: 131.07GBLatin America & CaribbeanBahamas, The: 71.46BSBrazil: 81.86BRColombia: 71.48COEl Salvador: 105.80SVMexico: 49.57MXUruguay: 66.40UYNorth AmericaCanada: 64.89CAUnited States: 117.97USSub-Saharan AfricaMozambique: 71.79MZSomalia, Fed. Rep.: 12.66SOUganda: 54.43UG

Lighter = lower value · Darker = higher value. Hover a cell to see the country and value.

Highest Values — 2024

# Country Central government debt, total (% of GDP)
1 Singapore East Asia & Pacific 175.61
2 United Kingdom Europe & Central Asia 131.07
3 United States North America 117.97
4 El Salvador Latin America & Caribbean 105.80
5 Spain Europe & Central Asia 105.64
6 Hungary Europe & Central Asia 82.03
7 Brazil Latin America & Caribbean 81.86
8 Mozambique Sub-Saharan Africa 71.79
9 Colombia Latin America & Caribbean 71.48
10 Bahamas, The Latin America & Caribbean 71.46

Looking for a specific country? Only the top and bottom 10 appear here. See where every country ranks for Central government debt, total (% of GDP).

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Biggest Movers — Year over Year

Largest increases

Largest decreases

By Income Group — Average

Income group Countries Mean
High income 12 79.03
Upper middle income 12 56.94
Lower middle income 1 40.23
Low income 3 46.30

By Region — Average

Region Countries Mean
East Asia & Pacific 5 79.59
Europe & Central Asia 12 53.71
Latin America & Caribbean 6 74.43
North America 2 91.43
Sub-Saharan Africa 3 46.30

Lowest Values — 2024

# Country Central government debt, total (% of GDP)
1 Somalia, Fed. Rep. 12.66
2 Russian Federation 17.95
3 Switzerland 23.07
4 Turkiye 26.62
5 Bosnia and Herzegovina 39.91
6 Andorra 40.03
7 Georgia 40.10
8 Kyrgyz Republic 40.23
9 Mongolia 43.34
10 Armenia 47.88
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Source: World Bank Open Data (GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS), CC BY 4.0. Rankings show countries with available data for 2024.