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 2019, at 229.2% of GDP. Estonia had the lowest, at 13.8% of GDP. The median was 68.9% of GDP. Source: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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Highest229.2Japan
Lowest13.8Estonia
Median68.937 countries

Map of countries, 2019

Austria: 90.4 % of GDPAustralia: 76.2 % of GDPBelgium: 121.4 % of GDPCanada: 112.6 % of GDPSwitzerland: 41.4 % of GDPChile: 38.8 % of GDPColombia: 82.4 % of GDPCzechia: 37.2 % of GDPGermany: 67.7 % of GDPDenmark: 54.3 % of GDPEstonia: 13.8 % of GDPSpain: 119.6 % of GDPFinland: 75.6 % of GDPFrance: 122.8 % of GDPUnited Kingdom: 114.4 % of GDPGreece: 198.9 % of GDPHungary: 83.6 % of GDPIreland: 68.9 % of GDPIsrael: 74.7 % of GDPIceland: 97.8 % of GDPItaly: 152.9 % of GDPJapan: 229.2 % of GDPSouth Korea: 49.7 % of GDPLithuania: 44.2 % of GDPLuxembourg: 30.8 % of GDPLatvia: 49.1 % of GDPMexico: 52.3 % of GDPNetherlands: 61.3 % of GDPNorway: 44.7 % of GDPNew Zealand: 38.3 % of GDPPoland: 63.2 % of GDPPortugal: 135.1 % of GDPSweden: 57.3 % of GDPSlovenia: 82 % of GDPSlovakia: 62.9 % of GDPTürkiye: 34.7 % of GDPUnited States: 136.2 % of GDP
  • Under 41
  • 41 to 54
  • 54 to 69
  • 69 to 84
  • 84 to 120
  • 120 and over
  • No data
% of GDP, 2019. 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, 2019

Japan: 229.2 % of GDPJapan229.2Greece: 198.9 % of GDPGreece198.9Italy: 152.9 % of GDPItaly152.9United States: 136.2 % of GDPUnited States136.2Portugal: 135.1 % of GDPPortugal135.1France: 122.8 % of GDPFrance122.8Belgium: 121.4 % of GDPBelgium121.4Spain: 119.6 % of GDPSpain119.6United Kingdom: 114.4 % of GDPUnited Kingdom114.4Canada: 112.6 % of GDPCanada112.6Iceland: 97.8 % of GDPIceland97.8Austria: 90.4 % of GDPAustria90.4Hungary: 83.6 % of GDPHungary83.6Colombia: 82.4 % of GDPColombia82.4Slovenia: 82 % of GDPSlovenia82Australia: 76.2 % of GDPAustralia76.2Finland: 75.6 % of GDPFinland75.6Israel: 74.7 % of GDPIsrael74.7Ireland: 68.9 % of GDPIreland68.9Germany: 67.7 % of GDPGermany67.7Poland: 63.2 % of GDPPoland63.2Slovakia: 62.9 % of GDPSlovakia62.9Netherlands: 61.3 % of GDPNetherlands61.3Sweden: 57.3 % of GDPSweden57.3Denmark: 54.3 % of GDPDenmark54.3Mexico: 52.3 % of GDPMexico52.3South Korea: 49.7 % of GDPSouth Korea49.7Latvia: 49.1 % of GDPLatvia49.1Norway: 44.7 % of GDPNorway44.7Lithuania: 44.2 % of GDPLithuania44.2Switzerland: 41.4 % of GDPSwitzerland41.4Chile: 38.8 % of GDPChile38.8New Zealand: 38.3 % of GDPNew Zealand38.3Czechia: 37.2 % of GDPCzechia37.2Türkiye: 34.7 % of GDPTürkiye34.7Luxembourg: 30.8 % of GDPLuxembourg30.8Estonia: 13.8 % of GDPEstonia13.8Japan: 229.2 % of GDPJapan229.2Greece: 198.9 % of GDPGreece198.9Italy: 152.9 % of GDPItaly152.9United States: 136.2 % of GDPUnited States136.2Portugal: 135.1 % of GDPPortugal135.1France: 122.8 % of GDPFrance122.8Belgium: 121.4 % of GDPBelgium121.4Spain: 119.6 % of GDPSpain119.6United Kingdom: 114.4 % of GDPUnited Kingdom114.4Canada: 112.6 % of GDPCanada112.6Iceland: 97.8 % of GDPIceland97.8Austria: 90.4 % of GDPAustria90.4Hungary: 83.6 % of GDPHungary83.6Colombia: 82.4 % of GDPColombia82.4Slovenia: 82 % of GDPSlovenia82Australia: 76.2 % of GDPAustralia76.2Finland: 75.6 % of GDPFinland75.6Israel: 74.7 % of GDPIsrael74.7Ireland: 68.9 % of GDPIreland68.9Germany: 67.7 % of GDPGermany67.7Poland: 63.2 % of GDPPoland63.2Slovakia: 62.9 % of GDPSlovakia62.9Netherlands: 61.3 % of GDPNetherlands61.3Sweden: 57.3 % of GDPSweden57.3Denmark: 54.3 % of GDPDenmark54.3Mexico: 52.3 % of GDPMexico52.3South Korea: 49.7 % of GDPSouth Korea49.7Latvia: 49.1 % of GDPLatvia49.1Norway: 44.7 % of GDPNorway44.7Lithuania: 44.2 % of GDPLithuania44.2Switzerland: 41.4 % of GDPSwitzerland41.4Chile: 38.8 % of GDPChile38.8New Zealand: 38.3 % of GDPNew Zealand38.3Czechia: 37.2 % of GDPCzechia37.2Türkiye: 34.7 % of GDPTürkiye34.7Luxembourg: 30.8 % of GDPLuxembourg30.8Estonia: 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

RankCountries2019
% of GDP		Change on 2018
1Japan229.20 pts
2Greece198.9+0.7 pts
3Italy152.9+7 pts
4United States136.2-1.4 pts
5Portugal135.1-1.8 pts
6France122.8+0.1 pts
7Belgium121.4+1.7 pts
8Spain119.6+3 pts
9United Kingdom114.4+2.5 pts
10Canada112.6+2.3 pts
11Iceland97.8+3.8 pts
12Austria90.4-1.7 pts
13Hungary83.6-3 pts
14Colombia82.4+0.7 pts
15Slovenia82-2.5 pts
16Australia76.2+9.6 pts
17Finland75.6-0.1 pts
18Israel74.7+2.6 pts
19Ireland68.9-5.6 pts
20Germany67.7-1.1 pts
21Poland63.2-2.9 pts
22Slovakia62.9-0.2 pts
23Netherlands61.3-3.9 pts
24Sweden57.3-3.6 pts
25Denmark54.3+1.6 pts
26Mexico52.3+4.3 pts
27South Korea49.7+2 pts
28Latvia49.1+0.8 pts
29Norway44.7+1.1 pts
30Lithuania44.2+3.9 pts
31Switzerland41.4-0.2 pts
32Chile38.8+6.6 pts
33New Zealand38.3-3.5 pts
34Czechia37.2-2.5 pts
35Türkiye34.7+2.5 pts
36Luxembourg30.8+1.6 pts
37Estonia13.8+0.7 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{organisation_countries_by_general_government_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/general-government-gross-debt/countries?period=2019.
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 229.2% of GDP in 2019, 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 2019.

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