Iran vs United Arab Emirates: Government debt

Government debt: 31.2% of GDP in Iran in 2024 and 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 2 percentage points, or 1.06 times that in Iran.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

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

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher since 2023, when it overtook Iran.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Iran at 43.4% of GDP and United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Iran	United Arab Emirates
2025	35.6	33.9
2024	31.2	33.2
2023	29.6	31.9
2022	34.5	31.5
2021	39.9	35.7
2020	47.1	30.1
2019	44.6	25.8
2018	41.6	20.7
2017	43.2	21.2
2016	46	18.6
2015	32.1	15.6
2014	10.9	13.5
2013	10.2	15.3
2012	11.8	20.2
2011	10.6	20.4
2010	12.8	18.3
2009	11.5	21.1
2008	10.6	8.9
2007	13.5	8.9
2006	15.2	5.1
2005	18.3	4.5
2004	21.1	4.1
2003	22	3.3
2002	23.4	3.4
2001	21	2.7
2000	18.2	3.1
1999	22.2	4.7
1998	29.6	–
1997	30.9	–
1996	29.3	–

12.3Projected

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

Year	Iran	United Arab Emirates
2026	39.1	32.8
2027	40.2	30.8
2028	40.8	29
2029	41.7	27.4
2030	42.7	27
2031	43.4	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

Iran vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsIran: 360 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022