Countries by government balance as a share of GDP
Norway had the highest government balance as a share of GDP of 41 countries in 2021, at 10% of GDP. The United States had the lowest, at -12% of GDP. The median was -4.6% of GDP. Source: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
All countries, 2021
Full ranking
| Rank | Countries | 2021 | Change on 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 10 | +12.6 pts |
| 2 | Denmark | 4.1 | +3.7 pts |
| 3 | Luxembourg | 1.1 | +4.3 pts |
| 4 | Sweden | -0.2 | +3 pts |
| 5 | South Korea | -0.3 | +2.3 pts |
| 6 | Switzerland | -1.1 | +1.5 pts |
| 7 | Lithuania | -1.1 | +5.3 pts |
| 8 | Ireland | -1.2 | +3.7 pts |
| 9 | Poland | -1.7 | +5.2 pts |
| 10 | Costa Rica | -1.8 | +3.5 pts |
| 11 | Brazil | -2.2 | +9.9 pts |
| 12 | Netherlands | -2.3 | +1.4 pts |
| 13 | Estonia | -2.5 | +2.9 pts |
| 14 | Finland | -2.7 | +2.9 pts |
| 15 | Portugal | -2.8 | +2.9 pts |
| 16 | Canada | -3.1 | +7.9 pts |
| 17 | Germany | -3.2 | +1.2 pts |
| 18 | Israel | -3.4 | +7.3 pts |
| 19 | New Zealand | -4 | +3.7 pts |
| 20 | Australia | -4.3 | +3.8 pts |
| 21 | China | -4.6 | +2.9 pts |
| 22 | Slovenia | -4.6 | +3.1 pts |
| 23 | Indonesia | -4.7 | +1.1 pts |
| 24 | Czechia | -5 | +0.7 pts |
| 25 | Slovakia | -5.1 | +0.2 pts |
| 26 | Mexico | -5.2 | +1.3 pts |
| 27 | Belgium | -5.4 | +3.6 pts |
| 28 | Austria | -5.7 | +2.5 pts |
| 29 | Japan | -6.3 | +2.7 pts |
| 30 | France | -6.6 | +2.3 pts |
| 31 | Spain | -6.7 | +3.3 pts |
| 32 | South Africa | -6.7 | +3.8 pts |
| 33 | Hungary | -7.1 | +0.4 pts |
| 34 | Latvia | -7.2 | -3.1 pts |
| 35 | Greece | -7.2 | +2.7 pts |
| 36 | Chile | -7.4 | -0 pts |
| 37 | United Kingdom | -7.5 | +5.4 pts |
| 38 | Colombia | -7.8 | +0.9 pts |
| 39 | Iceland | -8 | +0.8 pts |
| 40 | Italy | -8.9 | +0.5 pts |
| 41 | United States | -12 | +3 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
General government net lending (+) or net borrowing (-) as a percentage of GDP.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. 6 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2021 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
OECD. OECD National Accounts at a Glance: net lending (+) or net borrowing (-) of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, B9S13). 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.htmlUse this data in your AI agent
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Rank Countries by government balance as a share of GDP using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"government_deficit","level":"country","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=government_deficit&level=country&limit=10Questions
Which country has the highest government balance as a share of GDP?
Norway, with 10% of GDP in 2021, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Which country has the lowest government balance as a share of GDP?
The United States, with -12% 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: net lending (+) or net borrowing (-) of general government, percentage of GDP (DSD_NAAG_VI@DF_NAAG_VI, B9S13). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 6 countries have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.