Chad vs South Africa: Government debt
Government debt: 33.3% of GDP in Chad in 2025 and 76% of GDP in South Africa in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Africa, by 44.5 percentage points, or 2.42 times that in Chad.
ChadSouth Africa
Watch it change on the map% of GDP · IMF
Latest figures
% of GDP · IMF
| Country | Latest | 10 years before | Rank in 2025 | Projected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chad | 33.3 2025 | 31.3 | 121 of 149 | 24.8 2031 |
| South Africa | 76 2024 | 43.3 | — | 79.8 2031 |
What the numbers say
- South Africa has been higher since 2004, when it overtook Chad.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Chad at 24.8% of GDP and South Africa at 79.8% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Chad | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33.3 | 78.4 |
| 2024 | 31.4 | 76 |
| 2023 | 32.2 | 73.2 |
| 2022 | 32.1 | 70.7 |
| 2021 | 41.7 | 68.8 |
| 2020 | 41.6 | 68.9 |
| 2019 | 38.4 | 56.1 |
| 2018 | 33.8 | 51.5 |
| 2017 | 39.1 | 48.6 |
| 2016 | 40.2 | 47.1 |
| 2015 | 31.3 | 45.2 |
| 2014 | 29.4 | 43.3 |
| 2013 | 22.3 | 40.4 |
| 2012 | 20 | 37.4 |
| 2011 | 22.3 | 34.7 |
| 2010 | 22.9 | 31.2 |
| 2009 | 23.9 | 27 |
| 2008 | 15.7 | 24.1 |
| 2007 | 17.6 | 24.3 |
| 2006 | 20.1 | 28 |
| 2005 | 22 | 29.6 |
| 2004 | 25.2 | 30.7 |
| 2003 | 34.4 | 31.5 |
| 2002 | 42 | 31.8 |
| 2001 | 43.5 | 38.1 |
| 2000 | 52.4 | 37.9 |
| 1999 | 44.7 | – |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Chad | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31.1 | 78 |
| 2027 | 29.6 | 78.1 |
| 2028 | 28.6 | 78.8 |
| 2029 | 27.3 | 79.5 |
| 2030 | 25.9 | 79.7 |
| 2031 | 24.8 | 79.8 |
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