Japan’s government debt was 238 percent of GDP, the highest of any country, according to the International Monetary Fund. For the U.S., gross public debt was just over 100 percent of GDP in 2012. If that figure seems high, it’s because the IMF’s gross debt figures do not factor in financial assets in the form of debt instruments. So while amounts shown are comparable across nations, they’re higher than reported net debt figures.
Listed debt data is current as of 2012. Data was unavailable for countries shaded white.
2012 Gross Public Debt as % of GDP
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| <25% | >25% | >50% | >75% | >100% |
