Belgium vs Netherlands

Belgium vs Netherlands: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 107.9% of GDP in Belgium and 44.7% of GDP in Netherlands, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Belgium, by 63.2 percentage points, or 2.41 times that in Netherlands.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

Belgium vs Netherlands: Government debtGovernment debt in 2025: 107.9% of GDP in Belgium and 44.7% of GDP in Netherlands, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Belgium, by 63.2 percentage points, or 2.41 times that in Netherlands.
BelgiumNetherlandsIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • Belgium has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1980.
  • In 2025, Belgium ranked 9 and Netherlands ranked 93 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Belgium at 122.1% of GDP and Netherlands at 48% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

YearBelgiumNetherlands
2025107.944.7
2024103.944
2023102.545.9
2022103.348.4
2021108.750.5
2020111.453.4
201997.747.7
2018100.151.6
2017102.556
2016105.560.9
2015105.663.8
2014106.667.2
201310567.2
2012104.365.7
2011102.761.2
2010100.258.9
200999.956.3
200893.254.4
200787.342.7
200691.545
200595.149.6
200497.250.1
2003101.749.8
2002105.448.7
2001108.249.4
2000109.652.2
1999115.458.6
1998119.262.7
1997124.365.7
199612971.3
1995131.373
1994137.173.5
1993138.976.7
1992134.775.6
1991131.874.8
1990130.375
1989126.473.7
1988129.773.7
1987129.271.3
1986124.769
1985119.467.1
1984114.661.9
1983110.358.4
198299.652.4
198189.746.9
198076.843.6
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearBelgiumNetherlands
2026109.845.4
2027111.645.7
2028114.145.8
2029116.446.3
2030119.347.1
2031122.148

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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