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 2018, at 229.1% of GDP. Estonia had the lowest, at 13.1% of GDP. The median was 68.8% of GDP. Source: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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Highest229.1Japan
Lowest13.1Estonia
Median68.837 countries

Map of countries, 2018

Austria: 92.2 % of GDPAustralia: 66.6 % of GDPBelgium: 119.8 % of GDPCanada: 110.3 % of GDPSwitzerland: 41.6 % of GDPChile: 32.2 % of GDPColombia: 81.7 % of GDPCzechia: 39.7 % of GDPGermany: 68.8 % of GDPDenmark: 52.7 % of GDPEstonia: 13.1 % of GDPSpain: 116.6 % of GDPFinland: 75.8 % of GDPFrance: 122.8 % of GDPUnited Kingdom: 111.9 % of GDPGreece: 198.2 % of GDPHungary: 86.6 % of GDPIreland: 74.5 % of GDPIsrael: 72 % of GDPIceland: 93.9 % of GDPItaly: 145.8 % of GDPJapan: 229.1 % of GDPSouth Korea: 47.7 % of GDPLithuania: 40.2 % of GDPLuxembourg: 29.2 % of GDPLatvia: 48.2 % of GDPMexico: 48.1 % of GDPNetherlands: 65.2 % of GDPNorway: 43.6 % of GDPNew Zealand: 41.8 % of GDPPoland: 66.1 % of GDPPortugal: 136.8 % of GDPSweden: 60.8 % of GDPSlovenia: 84.5 % of GDPSlovakia: 63.1 % of GDPTürkiye: 32.2 % of GDPUnited States: 137.6 % of GDP
  • Under 42
  • 42 to 53
  • 53 to 69
  • 69 to 87
  • 87 to 120
  • 120 and over
  • No data
% of GDP, 2018. 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, 2018

Japan: 229.1 % of GDPJapan229.1Greece: 198.2 % of GDPGreece198.2Italy: 145.8 % of GDPItaly145.8United States: 137.6 % of GDPUnited States137.6Portugal: 136.8 % of GDPPortugal136.8France: 122.8 % of GDPFrance122.8Belgium: 119.8 % of GDPBelgium119.8Spain: 116.6 % of GDPSpain116.6United Kingdom: 111.9 % of GDPUnited Kingdom111.9Canada: 110.3 % of GDPCanada110.3Iceland: 93.9 % of GDPIceland93.9Austria: 92.2 % of GDPAustria92.2Hungary: 86.6 % of GDPHungary86.6Slovenia: 84.5 % of GDPSlovenia84.5Colombia: 81.7 % of GDPColombia81.7Finland: 75.8 % of GDPFinland75.8Ireland: 74.5 % of GDPIreland74.5Israel: 72 % of GDPIsrael72Germany: 68.8 % of GDPGermany68.8Australia: 66.6 % of GDPAustralia66.6Poland: 66.1 % of GDPPoland66.1Netherlands: 65.2 % of GDPNetherlands65.2Slovakia: 63.1 % of GDPSlovakia63.1Sweden: 60.8 % of GDPSweden60.8Denmark: 52.7 % of GDPDenmark52.7Latvia: 48.2 % of GDPLatvia48.2Mexico: 48.1 % of GDPMexico48.1South Korea: 47.7 % of GDPSouth Korea47.7Norway: 43.6 % of GDPNorway43.6New Zealand: 41.8 % of GDPNew Zealand41.8Switzerland: 41.6 % of GDPSwitzerland41.6Lithuania: 40.2 % of GDPLithuania40.2Czechia: 39.7 % of GDPCzechia39.7Chile: 32.2 % of GDPChile32.2Türkiye: 32.2 % of GDPTürkiye32.2Luxembourg: 29.2 % of GDPLuxembourg29.2Estonia: 13.1 % of GDPEstonia13.1Japan: 229.1 % of GDPJapan229.1Greece: 198.2 % of GDPGreece198.2Italy: 145.8 % of GDPItaly145.8United States: 137.6 % of GDPUnited States137.6Portugal: 136.8 % of GDPPortugal136.8France: 122.8 % of GDPFrance122.8Belgium: 119.8 % of GDPBelgium119.8Spain: 116.6 % of GDPSpain116.6United Kingdom: 111.9 % of GDPUnited Kingdom111.9Canada: 110.3 % of GDPCanada110.3Iceland: 93.9 % of GDPIceland93.9Austria: 92.2 % of GDPAustria92.2Hungary: 86.6 % of GDPHungary86.6Slovenia: 84.5 % of GDPSlovenia84.5Colombia: 81.7 % of GDPColombia81.7Finland: 75.8 % of GDPFinland75.8Ireland: 74.5 % of GDPIreland74.5Israel: 72 % of GDPIsrael72Germany: 68.8 % of GDPGermany68.8Australia: 66.6 % of GDPAustralia66.6Poland: 66.1 % of GDPPoland66.1Netherlands: 65.2 % of GDPNetherlands65.2Slovakia: 63.1 % of GDPSlovakia63.1Sweden: 60.8 % of GDPSweden60.8Denmark: 52.7 % of GDPDenmark52.7Latvia: 48.2 % of GDPLatvia48.2Mexico: 48.1 % of GDPMexico48.1South Korea: 47.7 % of GDPSouth Korea47.7Norway: 43.6 % of GDPNorway43.6New Zealand: 41.8 % of GDPNew Zealand41.8Switzerland: 41.6 % of GDPSwitzerland41.6Lithuania: 40.2 % of GDPLithuania40.2Czechia: 39.7 % of GDPCzechia39.7Chile: 32.2 % of GDPChile32.2Türkiye: 32.2 % of GDPTürkiye32.2Luxembourg: 29.2 % of GDPLuxembourg29.2Estonia: 13.1 % of GDPEstonia13.1
% 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

RankCountries2018
% of GDP		Change on 2017
1Japan229.1+3.7 pts
2Greece198.2+5.7 pts
3Italy145.8-4.8 pts
4United States137.6+1.8 pts
5Portugal136.8-6 pts
6France122.8-2 pts
7Belgium119.8-3.2 pts
8Spain116.6-1.6 pts
9United Kingdom111.9-3.5 pts
10Canada110.3-2 pts
11Iceland93.9-9.5 pts
12Austria92.2-5.3 pts
13Hungary86.6-6.5 pts
14Slovenia84.5-6 pts
15Colombia81.7+12.5 pts
16Finland75.8-2.7 pts
17Ireland74.5-2.2 pts
18Israel72-1.8 pts
19Germany68.8-3.1 pts
20Australia66.6+0.6 pts
21Poland66.1-2.5 pts
22Netherlands65.2-4.7 pts
23Slovakia63.1-2.5 pts
24Sweden60.8-0.8 pts
25Denmark52.7-1.4 pts
26Latvia48.2-0.9 pts
27Mexico48.1-0.9 pts
28South Korea47.7+0.8 pts
29Norway43.6+0.8 pts
30New Zealand41.8-2.4 pts
31Switzerland41.6-1.1 pts
32Lithuania40.2-6.9 pts
33Czechia39.7-3.5 pts
34Chile32.2+2.8 pts
35Türkiye32.2+0.1 pts
36Luxembourg29.2+0.5 pts
37Estonia13.1-0.2 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{organisation_countries_by_general_government_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/general-government-gross-debt/countries?period=2018.
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 229.1% of GDP in 2018, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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

Estonia, with 13.1% of GDP in 2018.

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

Countries: more rankings