Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka

Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 42% of GDP in Bangladesh and 96.8% of GDP in Sri Lanka, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Sri Lanka, by 54.8 percentage points, or 2.3 times that in Bangladesh.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Government debtGovernment debt in 2025: 42% of GDP in Bangladesh and 96.8% of GDP in Sri Lanka, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Sri Lanka, by 54.8 percentage points, or 2.3 times that in Bangladesh.
BangladeshSri LankaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • Sri Lanka has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2003.
  • In 2025, Bangladesh ranked 98 and Sri Lanka ranked 19 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Bangladesh at 49.4% of GDP and Sri Lanka at 82.4% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

YearBangladeshSri Lanka
20254296.8
202441100.2
202339.7109.9
202237.9115.9
202135.6102.7
202034.596.9
20193282.6
201829.683.6
201728.372.3
201627.775
201528.276.3
201428.769.6
201328.369.5
201229.167.5
201129.469.4
201029.668.7
20093372.8
200833.968.8
20073571.9
200635.374.3
200535.676.6
200436.686.5
20033786.5
2002–96.3
2001–84.4
2000–79.2
1999–77.7
1998–74.2
1997–70.2
1996–76.2
1995–77.8
1994–77.9
1993–79.2
1992–77.9
1991–80.5
1990–78.9
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearBangladeshSri Lanka
202640.595.2
202740.491.8
202842.890.1
202945.587.4
203047.684.7
203149.482.4

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

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