Ethiopia vs United Arab Emirates: Government debt

Government debt: 33.5% of GDP in Ethiopia in 2024 and 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Ethiopia, by 0.3 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

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

What the numbers say

Ethiopia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1999.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Ethiopia at 27.5% of GDP and United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Ethiopia	United Arab Emirates
2025	43.3	33.9
2024	33.5	33.2
2023	38.7	31.9
2022	47	31.5
2021	53.8	35.7
2020	53.3	30.1
2019	54.7	25.8
2018	58.5	20.7
2017	55.3	21.2
2016	51.8	18.6
2015	50.7	15.6
2014	44.2	13.5
2013	44.1	15.3
2012	39.4	20.2
2011	44.6	20.4
2010	39.4	18.3
2009	30	21.1
2008	56.1	8.9
2007	55.7	8.9
2006	79.6	5.1
2005	78.2	4.5
2004	103.1	4.1
2003	103.7	3.3
2002	107.4	3.4
2001	97.3	2.7
2000	93.6	3.1
1999	97.8	4.7
1998	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	Ethiopia	United Arab Emirates
2026	40.7	32.8
2027	37	30.8
2028	34.2	29
2029	31.8	27.4
2030	29.7	27
2031	27.5	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