Cameroon vs Central African Republic: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 40.5% of GDP in Cameroon and 42.6% of GDP in Central African Republic, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Central African Republic, by 2.1 percentage points, or 1.05 times that in Cameroon.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

CameroonCentral African RepublicIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

Central African Republic has been higher since 2025, when it overtook Cameroon.
In 2025, Cameroon ranked 102 and Central African Republic ranked 95 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Cameroon at 34.3% of GDP and Central African Republic at 48.2% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Cameroon	Central African Republic
2025	40.5	42.6
2024	43.4	41.6
2023	43.6	39
2022	45.6	34.2
2021	47.2	32.3
2020	44.9	29.7
2019	41.6	32.9
2018	38.3	35.3
2017	36.5	34.6
2016	32.1	35.5
2015	31.6	38.5
2014	20.7	39.9
2013	17.5	36.2
2012	14.9	23.2
2011	15.9	12.8
2010	14	13.6
2009	11.3	14.3
2008	11.2	24.4
2007	13.8	31.1
2006	18.4	30.6
2005	43.8	67.6
2004	51.7	64.3
2003	51.5	63.1
2002	56.6	61.2
2001	62.2	62.2
2000	75.9	58.6
1999	68.4	40.3
1998	67.8	41.7
1997	–	45.9

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

Year	Cameroon	Central African Republic
2026	40.1	43.5
2027	39.1	44.5
2028	38.1	45.3
2029	36.8	46.1
2030	35.2	47.1
2031	34.3	48.2

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