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 2020, at 250.1% of GDP. Estonia had the lowest, at 25.2% of GDP. The median was 80.8% of GDP. Source: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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Highest250.1Japan
Lowest25.2Estonia
Median80.837 countries

Map of countries, 2020

Austria: 107.9 % of GDPAustralia: 91.2 % of GDPBelgium: 139.1 % of GDPCanada: 146 % of GDPSwitzerland: 45 % of GDPChile: 44.2 % of GDPColombia: 102 % of GDPCzechia: 46 % of GDPGermany: 80.8 % of GDPDenmark: 62.6 % of GDPEstonia: 25.2 % of GDPSpain: 146.6 % of GDPFinland: 87.2 % of GDPFrance: 144.5 % of GDPUnited Kingdom: 145.9 % of GDPGreece: 233.8 % of GDPHungary: 96.5 % of GDPIreland: 71.8 % of GDPIsrael: 86.8 % of GDPIceland: 111.8 % of GDPItaly: 181.4 % of GDPJapan: 250.1 % of GDPSouth Korea: 55.5 % of GDPLithuania: 54.7 % of GDPLuxembourg: 33 % of GDPLatvia: 57.1 % of GDPMexico: 62 % of GDPNetherlands: 68.8 % of GDPNorway: 50.9 % of GDPNew Zealand: 51.6 % of GDPPoland: 76.8 % of GDPPortugal: 156.2 % of GDPSweden: 64 % of GDPSlovenia: 101 % of GDPSlovakia: 76.9 % of GDPTürkiye: 43.7 % of GDPUnited States: 158.9 % of GDP
  • Under 51
  • 51 to 63
  • 63 to 81
  • 81 to 100
  • 100 to 150
  • 150 and over
  • No data
% of GDP, 2020. 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, 2020

Japan: 250.1 % of GDPJapan250.1Greece: 233.8 % of GDPGreece233.8Italy: 181.4 % of GDPItaly181.4United States: 158.9 % of GDPUnited States158.9Portugal: 156.2 % of GDPPortugal156.2Spain: 146.6 % of GDPSpain146.6Canada: 146 % of GDPCanada146United Kingdom: 145.9 % of GDPUnited Kingdom145.9France: 144.5 % of GDPFrance144.5Belgium: 139.1 % of GDPBelgium139.1Iceland: 111.8 % of GDPIceland111.8Austria: 107.9 % of GDPAustria107.9Colombia: 102 % of GDPColombia102Slovenia: 101 % of GDPSlovenia101Hungary: 96.5 % of GDPHungary96.5Australia: 91.2 % of GDPAustralia91.2Finland: 87.2 % of GDPFinland87.2Israel: 86.8 % of GDPIsrael86.8Germany: 80.8 % of GDPGermany80.8Slovakia: 76.9 % of GDPSlovakia76.9Poland: 76.8 % of GDPPoland76.8Ireland: 71.8 % of GDPIreland71.8Netherlands: 68.8 % of GDPNetherlands68.8Sweden: 64 % of GDPSweden64Denmark: 62.6 % of GDPDenmark62.6Mexico: 62 % of GDPMexico62Latvia: 57.1 % of GDPLatvia57.1South Korea: 55.5 % of GDPSouth Korea55.5Lithuania: 54.7 % of GDPLithuania54.7New Zealand: 51.6 % of GDPNew Zealand51.6Norway: 50.9 % of GDPNorway50.9Czechia: 46 % of GDPCzechia46Switzerland: 45 % of GDPSwitzerland45Chile: 44.2 % of GDPChile44.2Türkiye: 43.7 % of GDPTürkiye43.7Luxembourg: 33 % of GDPLuxembourg33Estonia: 25.2 % of GDPEstonia25.2Japan: 250.1 % of GDPJapan250.1Greece: 233.8 % of GDPGreece233.8Italy: 181.4 % of GDPItaly181.4United States: 158.9 % of GDPUnited States158.9Portugal: 156.2 % of GDPPortugal156.2Spain: 146.6 % of GDPSpain146.6Canada: 146 % of GDPCanada146United Kingdom: 145.9 % of GDPUnited Kingdom145.9France: 144.5 % of GDPFrance144.5Belgium: 139.1 % of GDPBelgium139.1Iceland: 111.8 % of GDPIceland111.8Austria: 107.9 % of GDPAustria107.9Colombia: 102 % of GDPColombia102Slovenia: 101 % of GDPSlovenia101Hungary: 96.5 % of GDPHungary96.5Australia: 91.2 % of GDPAustralia91.2Finland: 87.2 % of GDPFinland87.2Israel: 86.8 % of GDPIsrael86.8Germany: 80.8 % of GDPGermany80.8Slovakia: 76.9 % of GDPSlovakia76.9Poland: 76.8 % of GDPPoland76.8Ireland: 71.8 % of GDPIreland71.8Netherlands: 68.8 % of GDPNetherlands68.8Sweden: 64 % of GDPSweden64Denmark: 62.6 % of GDPDenmark62.6Mexico: 62 % of GDPMexico62Latvia: 57.1 % of GDPLatvia57.1South Korea: 55.5 % of GDPSouth Korea55.5Lithuania: 54.7 % of GDPLithuania54.7New Zealand: 51.6 % of GDPNew Zealand51.6Norway: 50.9 % of GDPNorway50.9Czechia: 46 % of GDPCzechia46Switzerland: 45 % of GDPSwitzerland45Chile: 44.2 % of GDPChile44.2Türkiye: 43.7 % of GDPTürkiye43.7Luxembourg: 33 % of GDPLuxembourg33Estonia: 25.2 % of GDPEstonia25.2
% 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

RankCountries2020
% of GDP		Change on 2019
1Japan250.1+20.9 pts
2Greece233.8+34.9 pts
3Italy181.4+28.5 pts
4United States158.9+22.8 pts
5Portugal156.2+21.1 pts
6Spain146.6+27 pts
7Canada146+33.4 pts
8United Kingdom145.9+31.5 pts
9France144.5+21.6 pts
10Belgium139.1+17.7 pts
11Iceland111.8+14 pts
12Austria107.9+17.5 pts
13Colombia102+19.6 pts
14Slovenia101+19 pts
15Hungary96.5+12.9 pts
16Australia91.2+15 pts
17Finland87.2+11.6 pts
18Israel86.8+12.1 pts
19Germany80.8+13.1 pts
20Slovakia76.9+14 pts
21Poland76.8+13.7 pts
22Ireland71.8+2.9 pts
23Netherlands68.8+7.5 pts
24Sweden64+6.8 pts
25Denmark62.6+8.4 pts
26Mexico62+9.7 pts
27Latvia57.1+8.1 pts
28South Korea55.5+5.9 pts
29Lithuania54.7+10.5 pts
30New Zealand51.6+13.4 pts
31Norway50.9+6.2 pts
32Czechia46+8.8 pts
33Switzerland45+3.6 pts
34Chile44.2+5.5 pts
35Türkiye43.7+9 pts
36Luxembourg33+2.1 pts
37Estonia25.2+11.3 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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{organisation_countries_by_general_government_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/general-government-gross-debt/countries?period=2020.
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 250.1% of GDP in 2020, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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

Estonia, with 25.2% of GDP in 2020.

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