Countries by government balance as a share of GDP
Norway had the highest government balance as a share of GDP of 40 countries in 2023, at 15.9% of GDP. The United States had the lowest, at -8% of GDP. The median was -2.5% of GDP. Source: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
All countries, 2023
Full ranking
| Rank | Countries | 2023 | Change on 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 15.9 | -8.7 pts |
| 2 | Denmark | 3.5 | +0.1 pts |
| 3 | Ireland | 1.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 4 | Portugal | 1.1 | +1.4 pts |
| 5 | Switzerland | 0.3 | -0.9 pts |
| 6 | Canada | -0.2 | -0.8 pts |
| 7 | Netherlands | -0.3 | -0.3 pts |
| 8 | Costa Rica Estimated | -0.6 | -0.4 pts |
| 9 | Luxembourg | -0.7 | -0.9 pts |
| 10 | Lithuania | -0.7 | +0.1 pts |
| 11 | South Korea | -0.9 | -0.9 pts |
| 12 | Sweden | -0.9 | -1.9 pts |
| 13 | Greece Estimated | -1.4 | +1.1 pts |
| 14 | Indonesia | -1.5 | +1 pts |
| 15 | Chile | -2.1 | -3.3 pts |
| 16 | Iceland | -2.1 | +1.7 pts |
| 17 | Australia | -2.3 | -0.6 pts |
| 18 | Japan | -2.3 | +1.9 pts |
| 19 | Latvia | -2.3 | +2.5 pts |
| 20 | Germany Estimated | -2.5 | -0.6 pts |
| 21 | Austria | -2.6 | +0.8 pts |
| 22 | Slovenia | -2.6 | +0.4 pts |
| 23 | Estonia | -2.7 | -1.8 pts |
| 24 | Finland | -2.9 | -2.7 pts |
| 25 | Colombia Estimated | -3.2 | +1.8 pts |
| 26 | Spain Estimated | -3.3 | +1.2 pts |
| 27 | New Zealand | -3.6 | -0.6 pts |
| 28 | Czechia | -3.7 | -0.7 pts |
| 29 | Belgium | -4.1 | -0.6 pts |
| 30 | Mexico Estimated | -4.7 | -0.1 pts |
| 31 | Poland | -5.2 | -1.8 pts |
| 32 | Slovakia | -5.3 | -3.7 pts |
| 33 | France | -5.4 | -0.6 pts |
| 34 | Israel | -5.4 | -5.7 pts |
| 35 | United Kingdom | -6.1 | -1.5 pts |
| 36 | South Africa | -6.1 | -1 pts |
| 37 | China | -6.3 | -1.8 pts |
| 38 | Hungary | -7 | -0.8 pts |
| 39 | Italy | -7.1 | +1 pts |
| 40 | United States | -8 | -4.2 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. 7 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2023 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 15.9% of GDP in 2023, 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 -8% of GDP in 2023.
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. 7 countries have no value for 2023 and are not ranked.