Data / Rankings / General government gross debt, national accounts / Countries

Countries by general government gross debt, national accounts

Japan had the highest general government gross debt, national accounts of 37 countries in 2016, at 226.6% of GDP. Estonia had the lowest, at 13.8% of GDP. The median was 76.4% of GDP. Source: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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Highest226.6Japan
Lowest13.8Estonia
Median76.437 countries

Map of countries, 2016

Austria: 103.6 % of GDPAustralia: 68.6 % of GDPBelgium: 129 % of GDPCanada: 116.2 % of GDPSwitzerland: 42.7 % of GDPChile: 28.4 % of GDPColombia: 65.6 % of GDPCzechia: 47.5 % of GDPGermany: 76.5 % of GDPDenmark: 56.9 % of GDPEstonia: 13.8 % of GDPSpain: 119.9 % of GDPFinland: 81.1 % of GDPFrance: 124.9 % of GDPUnited Kingdom: 115.9 % of GDPGreece: 189 % of GDPHungary: 98.4 % of GDPIreland: 87.4 % of GDPIsrael: 77.1 % of GDPIceland: 114.8 % of GDPItaly: 153.2 % of GDPJapan: 226.6 % of GDPSouth Korea: 49 % of GDPLithuania: 51 % of GDPLuxembourg: 27.1 % of GDPLatvia: 51.6 % of GDPMexico: 51 % of GDPNetherlands: 76.4 % of GDPNorway: 42.6 % of GDPNew Zealand: 46.6 % of GDPPoland: 73 % of GDPPortugal: 143.7 % of GDPSweden: 63.1 % of GDPSlovenia: 99 % of GDPSlovakia: 67.7 % of GDPTürkiye: 31.9 % of GDPUnited States: 139.2 % of GDP
  • Under 47
  • 47 to 57
  • 57 to 76
  • 76 to 99
  • 99 to 120
  • 120 and over
  • No data
% of GDP, 2016. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: OECD, OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, LES13_FD4). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All countries, 2016

Japan: 226.6 % of GDPJapan226.6Greece: 189 % of GDPGreece189Italy: 153.2 % of GDPItaly153.2Portugal: 143.7 % of GDPPortugal143.7United States: 139.2 % of GDPUnited States139.2Belgium: 129 % of GDPBelgium129France: 124.9 % of GDPFrance124.9Spain: 119.9 % of GDPSpain119.9Canada: 116.2 % of GDPCanada116.2United Kingdom: 115.9 % of GDPUnited Kingdom115.9Iceland: 114.8 % of GDPIceland114.8Austria: 103.6 % of GDPAustria103.6Slovenia: 99 % of GDPSlovenia99Hungary: 98.4 % of GDPHungary98.4Ireland: 87.4 % of GDPIreland87.4Finland: 81.1 % of GDPFinland81.1Israel: 77.1 % of GDPIsrael77.1Germany: 76.5 % of GDPGermany76.5Netherlands: 76.4 % of GDPNetherlands76.4Poland: 73 % of GDPPoland73Australia: 68.6 % of GDPAustralia68.6Slovakia: 67.7 % of GDPSlovakia67.7Colombia: 65.6 % of GDPColombia65.6Sweden: 63.1 % of GDPSweden63.1Denmark: 56.9 % of GDPDenmark56.9Latvia: 51.6 % of GDPLatvia51.6Mexico: 51 % of GDPMexico51Lithuania: 51 % of GDPLithuania51South Korea: 49 % of GDPSouth Korea49Czechia: 47.5 % of GDPCzechia47.5New Zealand: 46.6 % of GDPNew Zealand46.6Switzerland: 42.7 % of GDPSwitzerland42.7Norway: 42.6 % of GDPNorway42.6Türkiye: 31.9 % of GDPTürkiye31.9Chile: 28.4 % of GDPChile28.4Luxembourg: 27.1 % of GDPLuxembourg27.1Estonia: 13.8 % of GDPEstonia13.8Japan: 226.6 % of GDPJapan226.6Greece: 189 % of GDPGreece189Italy: 153.2 % of GDPItaly153.2Portugal: 143.7 % of GDPPortugal143.7United States: 139.2 % of GDPUnited States139.2Belgium: 129 % of GDPBelgium129France: 124.9 % of GDPFrance124.9Spain: 119.9 % of GDPSpain119.9Canada: 116.2 % of GDPCanada116.2United Kingdom: 115.9 % of GDPUnited Kingdom115.9Iceland: 114.8 % of GDPIceland114.8Austria: 103.6 % of GDPAustria103.6Slovenia: 99 % of GDPSlovenia99Hungary: 98.4 % of GDPHungary98.4Ireland: 87.4 % of GDPIreland87.4Finland: 81.1 % of GDPFinland81.1Israel: 77.1 % of GDPIsrael77.1Germany: 76.5 % of GDPGermany76.5Netherlands: 76.4 % of GDPNetherlands76.4Poland: 73 % of GDPPoland73Australia: 68.6 % of GDPAustralia68.6Slovakia: 67.7 % of GDPSlovakia67.7Colombia: 65.6 % of GDPColombia65.6Sweden: 63.1 % of GDPSweden63.1Denmark: 56.9 % of GDPDenmark56.9Latvia: 51.6 % of GDPLatvia51.6Mexico: 51 % of GDPMexico51Lithuania: 51 % of GDPLithuania51South Korea: 49 % of GDPSouth Korea49Czechia: 47.5 % of GDPCzechia47.5New Zealand: 46.6 % of GDPNew Zealand46.6Switzerland: 42.7 % of GDPSwitzerland42.7Norway: 42.6 % of GDPNorway42.6Türkiye: 31.9 % of GDPTürkiye31.9Chile: 28.4 % of GDPChile28.4Luxembourg: 27.1 % of GDPLuxembourg27.1Estonia: 13.8 % of GDPEstonia13.8
% of GDP. Source: OECD, OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, LES13_FD4). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCountries2016
% of GDP		Change on 2015
1Japan226.6-2.2 pts
2Greece189+3.8 pts
3Italy153.2-2.7 pts
4Portugal143.7-4.2 pts
5United States139.2+1.9 pts
6Belgium129+1.6 pts
7France124.9+3.4 pts
8Spain119.9-0.1 pts
9Canada116.2+1.5 pts
10United Kingdom115.9+7.1 pts
11Iceland114.8-12.2 pts
12Austria103.6-0.3 pts
13Slovenia99-5.1 pts
14Hungary98.4-0.4 pts
15Ireland87.4-2.1 pts
16Finland81.1+0.8 pts
17Israel77.1-1.4 pts
18Germany76.5-2.7 pts
19Netherlands76.4-2.4 pts
20Poland73+3 pts
21Australia68.6+4.8 pts
22Slovakia67.7+1.3 pts
23Colombia65.6+3.4 pts
24Sweden63.1-0.6 pts
25Denmark56.9-1.1 pts
26Latvia51.6+3.8 pts
27Mexico51-1.5 pts
28Lithuania51-2.2 pts
29South Korea49-0.9 pts
30Czechia47.5-4.4 pts
31New Zealand46.6-0.9 pts
32Switzerland42.7-1.1 pts
33Norway42.6+3.9 pts
34Türkiye31.9+0.8 pts
35Chile28.4+4.1 pts
36Luxembourg27.1-2.1 pts
37Estonia13.8+0.4 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Gross debt of general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, under the System of National Accounts: all liabilities that are debt instruments, including loans, debt securities, currency and deposits, insurance and pension entitlements and other accounts payable.

Not the Maastricht debt in government_debt: this measure also counts pension entitlements and accounts payable, and some countries value securities at market prices, so it is usually higher. Use it to compare OECD countries with each other.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

OECD. OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, LES13_FD4). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_NAAG_VI%40DF_NAAG_VI&df[ag]=OECD.SDD.NAD. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2026). OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, LES13_FD4) (Countries by general government gross debt, national accounts, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_NAAG_VI%40DF_NAAG_VI&df[ag]=OECD.SDD.NAD

MLA 9

OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, LES13_FD4), Countries by general government gross debt, national accounts, 2016. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 12 Oct. 2026, https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_NAAG_VI%40DF_NAAG_VI&df[ag]=OECD.SDD.NAD. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/general-government-gross-debt/countries?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2026. OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, LES13_FD4). Countries by general government gross debt, national accounts, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_NAAG_VI%40DF_NAAG_VI&df[ag]=OECD.SDD.NAD. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/general-government-gross-debt/countries?period=2016.

Harvard

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2026) OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, LES13_FD4), Countries by general government gross debt, national accounts, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_NAAG_VI%40DF_NAAG_VI&df[ag]=OECD.SDD.NAD, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/general-government-gross-debt/countries?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{organisation_countries_by_general_government_2016,
  author = {{Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development}},
  title = {{OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD\_NAAG\_VI@DF\_NAAG\_VI, LES13\_FD4): Countries by general government gross debt, national accounts, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_NAAG_VI%40DF_NAAG_VI&df[ag]=OECD.SDD.NAD},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/general-government-gross-debt/countries?period=2016. Publisher attribution: OECD. OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD\_NAAG\_VI@DF\_NAAG\_VI, LES13\_FD4). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ\&df[id]=DSD\_NAAG\_VI\%40DF\_NAAG\_VI\&df[ag]=OECD.SDD.NAD. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
TI  - OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, LES13_FD4): Countries by general government gross debt, national accounts, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/12
PB  - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_NAAG_VI%40DF_NAAG_VI&df[ag]=OECD.SDD.NAD
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/general-government-gross-debt/countries?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/general-government-gross-debt/countries?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: OECD. OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, LES13_FD4). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_NAAG_VI%40DF_NAAG_VI&df[ag]=OECD.SDD.NAD. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html.
ER  -
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Questions

Which country has the highest general government gross debt, national accounts?

Japan, with 226.6% of GDP in 2016, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Which country has the lowest general government gross debt, national accounts?

Estonia, with 13.8% of GDP in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD National Accounts at a Glance: gross debt of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, LES13_FD4). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

General government gross debt, national accounts: other rankings

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