Germany vs Japan
Germany vs Japan: Government debt
Government debt: 62.7% of GDP in Germany in 2025 and 213.6% of GDP in Japan in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Japan, by 152.2 percentage points, or 3.48 times that in Germany.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Japan has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1991.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Germany at 75.6% of GDP and Japan at 188.9% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Germany | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 62.7 | 204.8 |
| 2024 | 61.4 | 213.6 |
| 2023 | 61.8 | 220.1 |
| 2022 | 64.1 | 228 |
| 2021 | 67.4 | 222.6 |
| 2020 | 67.5 | 228.8 |
| 2019 | 58.4 | 206.3 |
| 2018 | 60.5 | 203.7 |
| 2017 | 63.7 | 203.1 |
| 2016 | 68.1 | 202.1 |
| 2015 | 71 | 200.1 |
| 2014 | 74.4 | 203.6 |
| 2013 | 77.4 | 201.2 |
| 2012 | 79.8 | 197.1 |
| 2011 | 78.5 | 190.6 |
| 2010 | 81 | 178.6 |
| 2009 | 72.4 | 172.9 |
| 2008 | 65.2 | 153.6 |
| 2007 | 63.7 | 150.4 |
| 2006 | 66.4 | 152.1 |
| 2005 | 67.1 | 153.4 |
| 2004 | 65 | 148.8 |
| 2003 | 63.3 | 140.2 |
| 2002 | 59.8 | 134.6 |
| 2001 | 58.1 | 126.8 |
| 2000 | 59.2 | 118.5 |
| 1999 | 60.4 | 113.5 |
| 1998 | 59.4 | 101.6 |
| 1997 | 58.8 | 91.3 |
| 1996 | 57.7 | 85.3 |
| 1995 | 54.9 | 80.7 |
| 1994 | 47.5 | 73.3 |
| 1993 | 45.1 | 63.2 |
| 1992 | 41.4 | 57.9 |
| 1991 | 39 | 54.1 |
| 1990 | – | 54.8 |
| 1989 | – | 56.9 |
| 1988 | – | 62.4 |
| 1987 | – | 65.8 |
| 1986 | – | 64.2 |
| 1985 | – | 59.2 |
| 1984 | – | 56.9 |
| 1983 | – | 55.1 |
| 1982 | – | 50.1 |
| 1981 | – | 45.8 |
| 1980 | – | 41.4 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Germany | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 64.6 | 199.4 |
| 2027 | 67 | 196.4 |
| 2028 | 69.3 | 193.8 |
| 2029 | 71.5 | 191.5 |
| 2030 | 73.6 | 190.1 |
| 2031 | 75.6 | 188.9 |
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
Germany vs Japan
Health
- Life expectancyGermany: 81.4 years in 2023Japan: 84.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityGermany: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024Japan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityGermany: 3 per 1,000 live births in 2023Japan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterGermany: 99.9% in 2022Japan: 98.7% in 2022
- DepressionGermany: 3.96% in 2017Japan: 3.34% in 2017
- Suicide rateGermany: 9.9 per 100,000 people in 2017Japan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationGermany: 84.6 million people in 2023Japan: 124 million people in 2023
- Population growthGermany: 0.35% a year in 2023Japan: -0.48% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateGermany: 1.44 births per woman in 2023Japan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationGermany: 82.1% in 2025Japan: 92.3% in 2025
- Median ageGermany: 45.2 years in 2023Japan: 49 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overGermany: 22.8% in 2023Japan: 29.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateGermany: 7.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Japan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingGermany: 2.27% of GDP in 2025Japan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsGermany: $107B in 2025Japan: $59.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personGermany: $1,346 in 2025Japan: $504 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingGermany: 4.5% of government spending in 2025Japan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelGermany: 183,000 people in 2020Japan: 261,000 people in 2020
- National powerGermany: 1.5% of world capability in 2022Japan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersGermany: 0.42% of the labour force in 2020Japan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsGermany: 1.63 billion TIV in 2025Japan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsGermany: 1.7 billion TIV in 2025Japan: 28 million TIV in 2025