China vs United Arab Emirates: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 98.6% of GDP in China and 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 64.8 percentage points, or 2.91 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

ChinaUnited Arab EmiratesIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1999.
In 2025, China ranked 17 and United Arab Emirates ranked 120 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts China at 122.1% of GDP and United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	China	United Arab Emirates
2025	98.6	33.9
2024	90.5	33.2
2023	84.1	31.9
2022	77.3	31.5
2021	72.1	35.7
2020	70.6	30.1
2019	59.9	25.8
2018	55.7	20.7
2017	53.7	21.2
2016	50	18.6
2015	40.9	15.6
2014	39.4	13.5
2013	36.6	15.3
2012	33.9	20.2
2011	33	20.4
2010	33.1	18.3
2009	33.9	21.1
2008	26.6	8.9
2007	28.8	8.9
2006	25.2	5.1
2005	26	4.5
2004	25.9	4.1
2003	26.4	3.3
2002	25.5	3.4
2001	24.2	2.7
2000	22.6	3.1
1999	21.6	4.7
1998	20.4	–
1997	20.4	–
1996	21.2	–
1995	21.4	–

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

Year	China	United Arab Emirates
2026	104.4	32.8
2027	109.1	30.8
2028	113.2	29
2029	116.4	27.4
2030	119.5	27
2031	122.1	26.1

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

China vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsChina: 0 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022