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 2021, at 245.2% of GDP. Estonia had the lowest, at 25.1% of GDP. The median was 78.4% of GDP. Source: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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Highest245.2Japan
Lowest25.1Estonia
Median78.437 countries

Map of countries, 2021

Austria: 101.6 % of GDPAustralia: 82.6 % of GDPBelgium: 129.2 % of GDPCanada: 131 % of GDPSwitzerland: 43 % of GDPChile: 42.2 % of GDPColombia: 93 % of GDPCzechia: 46.7 % of GDPGermany: 78.4 % of GDPDenmark: 54.3 % of GDPEstonia: 25.1 % of GDPSpain: 139.3 % of GDPFinland: 82.1 % of GDPFrance: 136.7 % of GDPUnited Kingdom: 135.5 % of GDPGreece: 220.9 % of GDPHungary: 88.3 % of GDPIreland: 63.1 % of GDPIsrael: 82.9 % of GDPIceland: 107.5 % of GDPItaly: 169 % of GDPJapan: 245.2 % of GDPSouth Korea: 56.1 % of GDPLithuania: 50.2 % of GDPLuxembourg: 31.2 % of GDPLatvia: 60.5 % of GDPMexico: 57.3 % of GDPNetherlands: 64.3 % of GDPNorway: 46.1 % of GDPNew Zealand: 57.2 % of GDPPoland: 67.4 % of GDPPortugal: 142.2 % of GDPSweden: 60.1 % of GDPSlovenia: 90.1 % of GDPSlovakia: 76.9 % of GDPTürkiye: 43.2 % of GDPUnited States: 146.9 % of GDP
  • Under 47
  • 47 to 60
  • 60 to 78
  • 78 to 93
  • 93 to 140
  • 140 and over
  • No data
% of GDP, 2021. 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, 2021

Japan: 245.2 % of GDPJapan245.2Greece: 220.9 % of GDPGreece220.9Italy: 169 % of GDPItaly169United States: 146.9 % of GDPUnited States146.9Portugal: 142.2 % of GDPPortugal142.2Spain: 139.3 % of GDPSpain139.3France: 136.7 % of GDPFrance136.7United Kingdom: 135.5 % of GDPUnited Kingdom135.5Canada: 131 % of GDPCanada131Belgium: 129.2 % of GDPBelgium129.2Iceland: 107.5 % of GDPIceland107.5Austria: 101.6 % of GDPAustria101.6Colombia: 93 % of GDPColombia93Slovenia: 90.1 % of GDPSlovenia90.1Hungary: 88.3 % of GDPHungary88.3Israel: 82.9 % of GDPIsrael82.9Australia: 82.6 % of GDPAustralia82.6Finland: 82.1 % of GDPFinland82.1Germany: 78.4 % of GDPGermany78.4Slovakia: 76.9 % of GDPSlovakia76.9Poland: 67.4 % of GDPPoland67.4Netherlands: 64.3 % of GDPNetherlands64.3Ireland: 63.1 % of GDPIreland63.1Latvia: 60.5 % of GDPLatvia60.5Sweden: 60.1 % of GDPSweden60.1Mexico: 57.3 % of GDPMexico57.3New Zealand: 57.2 % of GDPNew Zealand57.2South Korea: 56.1 % of GDPSouth Korea56.1Denmark: 54.3 % of GDPDenmark54.3Lithuania: 50.2 % of GDPLithuania50.2Czechia: 46.7 % of GDPCzechia46.7Norway: 46.1 % of GDPNorway46.1Türkiye: 43.2 % of GDPTürkiye43.2Switzerland: 43 % of GDPSwitzerland43Chile: 42.2 % of GDPChile42.2Luxembourg: 31.2 % of GDPLuxembourg31.2Estonia: 25.1 % of GDPEstonia25.1Japan: 245.2 % of GDPJapan245.2Greece: 220.9 % of GDPGreece220.9Italy: 169 % of GDPItaly169United States: 146.9 % of GDPUnited States146.9Portugal: 142.2 % of GDPPortugal142.2Spain: 139.3 % of GDPSpain139.3France: 136.7 % of GDPFrance136.7United Kingdom: 135.5 % of GDPUnited Kingdom135.5Canada: 131 % of GDPCanada131Belgium: 129.2 % of GDPBelgium129.2Iceland: 107.5 % of GDPIceland107.5Austria: 101.6 % of GDPAustria101.6Colombia: 93 % of GDPColombia93Slovenia: 90.1 % of GDPSlovenia90.1Hungary: 88.3 % of GDPHungary88.3Israel: 82.9 % of GDPIsrael82.9Australia: 82.6 % of GDPAustralia82.6Finland: 82.1 % of GDPFinland82.1Germany: 78.4 % of GDPGermany78.4Slovakia: 76.9 % of GDPSlovakia76.9Poland: 67.4 % of GDPPoland67.4Netherlands: 64.3 % of GDPNetherlands64.3Ireland: 63.1 % of GDPIreland63.1Latvia: 60.5 % of GDPLatvia60.5Sweden: 60.1 % of GDPSweden60.1Mexico: 57.3 % of GDPMexico57.3New Zealand: 57.2 % of GDPNew Zealand57.2South Korea: 56.1 % of GDPSouth Korea56.1Denmark: 54.3 % of GDPDenmark54.3Lithuania: 50.2 % of GDPLithuania50.2Czechia: 46.7 % of GDPCzechia46.7Norway: 46.1 % of GDPNorway46.1Türkiye: 43.2 % of GDPTürkiye43.2Switzerland: 43 % of GDPSwitzerland43Chile: 42.2 % of GDPChile42.2Luxembourg: 31.2 % of GDPLuxembourg31.2Estonia: 25.1 % of GDPEstonia25.1
% 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

RankCountries2021
% of GDP		Change on 2020
1Japan245.2-4.9 pts
2Greece220.9-12.9 pts
3Italy169-12.3 pts
4United States146.9-12.1 pts
5Portugal142.2-14 pts
6Spain139.3-7.3 pts
7France136.7-7.8 pts
8United Kingdom135.5-10.5 pts
9Canada131-14.9 pts
10Belgium129.2-9.9 pts
11Iceland107.5-4.3 pts
12Austria101.6-6.3 pts
13Colombia93-8.9 pts
14Slovenia90.1-10.9 pts
15Hungary88.3-8.2 pts
16Israel82.9-3.9 pts
17Australia82.6-8.6 pts
18Finland82.1-5.1 pts
19Germany78.4-2.4 pts
20Slovakia76.9+0.1 pts
21Poland67.4-9.5 pts
22Netherlands64.3-4.5 pts
23Ireland63.1-8.7 pts
24Latvia60.5+3.4 pts
25Sweden60.1-3.9 pts
26Mexico57.3-4.8 pts
27New Zealand57.2+5.5 pts
28South Korea56.1+0.5 pts
29Denmark54.3-8.3 pts
30Lithuania50.2-4.5 pts
31Czechia46.7+0.7 pts
32Norway46.1-4.8 pts
33Türkiye43.2-0.5 pts
34Switzerland43-2 pts
35Chile42.2-2 pts
36Luxembourg31.2-1.8 pts
37Estonia25.1-0.1 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{organisation_countries_by_general_government_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/general-government-gross-debt/countries?period=2021.
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 245.2% of GDP in 2021, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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

Estonia, with 25.1% of GDP in 2021.

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