Australia vs United Kingdom

Australia vs United Kingdom: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 51.9% of GDP in Australia and 102.1% of GDP in United Kingdom, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 50.2 percentage points, or 1.97 times that in Australia.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

Australia vs United Kingdom: Government debtGovernment debt in 2025: 51.9% of GDP in Australia and 102.1% of GDP in United Kingdom, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 50.2 percentage points, or 1.97 times that in Australia.
AustraliaUnited KingdomIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • United Kingdom has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1989.
  • In 2025, Australia ranked 79 and United Kingdom ranked 12 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Australia at 54.3% of GDP and United Kingdom at 100.2% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

YearAustraliaUnited Kingdom
202551.9102.1
202450.999.4
202349.498.3
20225097.1
202155.4103
202056.9104.4
201946.584.5
201841.685.3
20174185.9
201640.587.2
201537.687.3
201433.986.4
201330.384.8
201227.484
20112481
201020.375.5
200916.664.6
200811.750.7
20079.643.1
20069.942.1
200510.841
200411.939.8
200313.236.8
20021535.5
200117.135
200019.537.7
199922.540.5
199823.742
199725.944.1
199629.343.7
199531.143.7
199431.740.8
199330.638
199227.633.3
199121.628.5
199016.428.5
19891732.6
1988–37.1
1987–39.3
1986–41.4
1985–41.4
1984–42.3
1983–41.9
1982–43.1
1981–44.9
1980–42.7
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearAustraliaUnited Kingdom
202652.6102
202753.2102.5
202853.7102.3
202954.1101.6
203054.3100.9
203154.3100.2

Each country on its own

Good to know

  • What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
  • Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
  • The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
  • Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Australia vs United Kingdom

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