Visualizing the State of World Debt in 2025

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Key Takeaways

• World debt reached $111 trillion in 2025, equal to 94.7% of GDP.
• Japan, Sudan, and Singapore have the highest debt ratios globally, while the U.S. ranks in 11th with a 125% debt-to-GDP ratio.

World debt is so high that 23 countries are borrowing more than their GDP, including two countries owing more than double their annual economic output.

As debt-to-GDP ratios continue to swell, servicing them is getting more expensive. Strikingly, more than 3.4 billion people live in countries where net interest payments on public debt exceed education or health funding.

This graphic shows the countries with the highest debt-to-GDP ratios in 2025, based on data from the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook.

World Debt Continues to Climb

Below, we rank countries by government debt as a share of GDP:

Rank	Country	General Government Gross Debt (Percent of GDP)
1	🇯🇵 Japan	230%
2	🇸🇩 Sudan	222%
3	🇸🇬 Singapore	176%
4	🇻🇪 Venezuela	164%
5	🇱🇧 Lebanon	164%
6	🇬🇷 Greece	147%
7	🇧🇭 Bahrain	143%
8	🇮🇹 Italy	137%
9	🇲🇻 Maldives	132%
10	🇲🇿 Mozambique	131%
11	🇺🇸 United States	125%
12	🇸🇳 Senegal	123%
13	🇫🇷 France	117%
14	🇿🇲 Zambia	115%
15	🇨🇦 Canada	114%
16	🇺🇦 Ukraine	109%
17	🇧🇪 Belgium	108%
18	🇨🇻 Cabo Verde	106%
19	🇧🇹 Bhutan	106%
20	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	103%
21	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	101%
22	🇪🇸 Spain	100%
23	🇧🇧 Barbados	100%
24	🇨🇳 China	96%
25	🇩🇲 Dominica	96%
26	🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	94%
27	🇧🇴 Bolivia	94%
28	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	93%
29	🇧🇷 Brazil	91%
30	🇵🇹 Portugal	91%
31	🇱🇦 Laos	91%
32	🇯🇴 Jordan	90%
33	🇸🇷 Suriname	89%
34	🇲🇺 Mauritius	88%
35	🇸🇻 El Salvador	88%
36	🇪🇬 Egypt	87%
37	🇫🇮 Finland	87%
38	🇦🇹 Austria	82%
39	🇮🇳 India	81%
40	🇹🇳 Tunisia	81%
41	🇲🇼 Malawi	80%
42	🇦🇷 Argentina	79%
43	🇿🇦 South Africa	77%
44	🇱🇨 Saint Lucia	77%
45	🇫🇯 Fiji	77%
46	🇬🇦 Gabon	76%
47	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	76%
48	🇭🇺 Hungary	75%
49	🇬🇲 The Gambia	74%
50	🇧🇸 The Bahamas	74%
51	🇷🇼 Rwanda	73%
52	🇹🇬 Togo	72%
53	🇵🇰 Pakistan	72%
54	🇾🇪 Yemen	71%
55	🇲🇾 Malaysia	70%
56	🇰🇪 Kenya	68%
57	🇬🇩 Grenada	68%
58	🇲🇦 Morocco	67%
59	🇦🇼 Aruba	67%
60	🇸🇮 Slovenia	67%
61	🇺🇾 Uruguay	67%
62	🇸🇸 South Sudan	66%
63	🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda	66%
64	🇵🇸 West Bank and Gaza	66%
65	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	65%
66	🇹🇭 Thailand	65%
67	🇧🇿 Belize	65%
68	🇩🇪 Germany	64%
69	🇳🇦 Namibia	64%
70	🇲🇲 Myanmar	64%
71	🇵🇼 Palau	63%
72	🇸🇲 San Marino	63%
73	🇦🇴 Angola	62%
74	🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis	62%
75	🇷🇴 Romania	61%
76	🇲🇪 Montenegro	61%
77	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	60%
78	🇵🇱 Poland	60%
79	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	60%
80	🇵🇦 Panama	60%
81	🇸🇰 Slovakia	60%
82	🇯🇲 Jamaica	59%
83	🇬🇭 Ghana	59%

Japan takes the lead with a 230% debt ratio, declining from 235% in the IMF’s April forecast.

Despite this, Japan’s new prime minister is planning to revive ‘Abenomics’ through easy monetary policy and billions in subsidies. While this likely does not bode well for its debt pile, Japanese equities surged to record highs after the election.

War-torn Sudan follows next, with a 222% debt to GDP, followed by Singapore, at 176%.

In Europe, Greece’s debt burden is highest overall, at 147%—nearly double the region’s average. Italy follows next, with a 137% debt ratio, falling from 2020 highs of 155%.

Overall, America ranks 11th globally. As it stands, the current federal budget is projected to add $1.8 trillion each year to the $38 trillion debt pile. While the U.S. debt ratio is 125% today, it will likely only continue to rise.

Story by Visualcapitalist