Central African Republic vs Congo - Kinshasa

Central African Republic vs Congo - Kinshasa: Government debt

Government debt: 42.6% of GDP in Central African Republic in 2025 and 17.2% of GDP in Congo - Kinshasa in 2023, by IMF estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in Central African Republic, by 21.8 percentage points, or 2.27 times that in Congo - Kinshasa.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

Central African RepublicCongo - KinshasaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

Central African Republic has been higher since 2011, when it overtook Congo - Kinshasa.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Central African Republic at 48.2% of GDP and Congo - Kinshasa at 32.6% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Central African Republic	Congo - Kinshasa
2025	42.6	20.4
2024	41.6	17.3
2023	39	17.2
2022	34.2	16.6
2021	32.3	15.6
2020	29.7	12.8
2019	32.9	9.7
2018	35.3	9.2
2017	34.6	8.4
2016	35.5	10.6
2015	38.5	10.2
2014	39.9	8.7
2013	36.2	8.3
2012	23.2	7.6
2011	12.8	7.8
2010	13.6	31.8
2009	14.3	91.6
2008	24.4	80.3
2007	31.1	85.1
2006	30.6	107.5
2005	67.6	112
2004	64.3	164.1
2003	63.1	114.5
2002	61.2	136
2001	62.2	185.4
2000	58.6	135
1999	40.3	–
1998	41.7	–
1997	45.9	–

12.3Projected

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

Year	Central African Republic	Congo - Kinshasa
2026	43.5	23.7
2027	44.5	26.9
2028	45.3	28.4
2029	46.1	30
2030	47.1	31.5
2031	48.2	32.6

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