Benin vs Ethiopia: Government debt

Government debt: 59.3% of GDP in Benin in 2025 and 33.5% of GDP in Ethiopia in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Benin, by 27.1 percentage points, or 1.81 times that in Ethiopia.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

BeninEthiopiaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

Benin has been higher since 2021, when it overtook Ethiopia.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Benin at 50.3% of GDP and Ethiopia at 27.5% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Benin	Ethiopia
2025	59.3	43.3
2024	60.5	33.5
2023	61.3	38.7
2022	59.7	47
2021	55.6	53.8
2020	46.1	53.3
2019	40.4	54.7
2018	40.8	58.5
2017	39.4	55.3
2016	35.9	51.8
2015	30.9	50.7
2014	22.3	44.2
2013	18.5	44.1
2012	19.5	39.4
2011	21.9	44.6
2010	21	39.4
2009	18.8	30
2008	18.3	56.1
2007	14.3	55.7
2006	8.4	79.6
2005	27	78.2
2004	21.5	103.1
2003	23.4	103.7
2002	30.8	107.4
2001	38	97.3
2000	39.6	93.6
1999	39.4	97.8
1998	53.6	89.3
1997	–	80.3
1996	–	132.8
1995	–	146.6
1994	–	155.2
1993	–	141
1992	–	87.9

12.3Projected

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

Year	Benin	Ethiopia
2026	58.1	40.7
2027	56.5	37
2028	54.7	34.2
2029	53.1	31.8
2030	51.7	29.7
2031	50.3	27.5

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

Benin vs Ethiopia: Government debt

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

Benin vs Ethiopia

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