Cameroon vs Ethiopia: Government debt

Government debt: 40.5% of GDP in Cameroon in 2025 and 33.5% of GDP in Ethiopia in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Cameroon, by 9.9 percentage points, or 1.3 times that in Ethiopia.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

CameroonEthiopiaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

Cameroon has been higher since 2023, when it overtook Ethiopia.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Cameroon at 34.3% of GDP and Ethiopia at 27.5% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Cameroon	Ethiopia
2025	40.5	43.3
2024	43.4	33.5
2023	43.6	38.7
2022	45.6	47
2021	47.2	53.8
2020	44.9	53.3
2019	41.6	54.7
2018	38.3	58.5
2017	36.5	55.3
2016	32.1	51.8
2015	31.6	50.7
2014	20.7	44.2
2013	17.5	44.1
2012	14.9	39.4
2011	15.9	44.6
2010	14	39.4
2009	11.3	30
2008	11.2	56.1
2007	13.8	55.7
2006	18.4	79.6
2005	43.8	78.2
2004	51.7	103.1
2003	51.5	103.7
2002	56.6	107.4
2001	62.2	97.3
2000	75.9	93.6
1999	68.4	97.8
1998	67.8	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	Cameroon	Ethiopia
2026	40.1	40.7
2027	39.1	37
2028	38.1	34.2
2029	36.8	31.8
2030	35.2	29.7
2031	34.3	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

Cameroon vs Ethiopia: Government debt

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

Cameroon vs Ethiopia

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