Bangladesh vs South Africa: Government debt

Government debt: 42% of GDP in Bangladesh in 2025 and 76% of GDP in South Africa in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Africa, by 35 percentage points, or 1.85 times that in Bangladesh.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

BangladeshSouth AfricaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

South Africa has been higher since 2010, when it overtook Bangladesh.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Bangladesh at 49.4% of GDP and South Africa at 79.8% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Bangladesh	South Africa
2025	42	78.4
2024	41	76
2023	39.7	73.2
2022	37.9	70.7
2021	35.6	68.8
2020	34.5	68.9
2019	32	56.1
2018	29.6	51.5
2017	28.3	48.6
2016	27.7	47.1
2015	28.2	45.2
2014	28.7	43.3
2013	28.3	40.4
2012	29.1	37.4
2011	29.4	34.7
2010	29.6	31.2
2009	33	27
2008	33.9	24.1
2007	35	24.3
2006	35.3	28
2005	35.6	29.6
2004	36.6	30.7
2003	37	31.5
2002	–	31.8
2001	–	38.1
2000	–	37.9

12.3Projected

IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031

Year	Bangladesh	South Africa
2026	40.5	78
2027	40.4	78.1
2028	42.8	78.8
2029	45.5	79.5
2030	47.6	79.7
2031	49.4	79.8

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

Bangladesh vs South Africa: Government debt

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

Bangladesh vs South Africa

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