Iran vs United Kingdom

Iran vs United Kingdom: Government debt

Government debt: 31.2% of GDP in Iran in 2024 and 102.1% of GDP in United Kingdom in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 68.1 percentage points, or 3.18 times that in Iran.

% of GDP · IMF

Iran vs United Kingdom: Government debtGovernment debt: 31.2% of GDP in Iran in 2024 and 102.1% of GDP in United Kingdom in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 68.1 percentage points, or 3.18 times that in Iran.
IranUnited KingdomIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • United Kingdom has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1996.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Iran at 43.4% of GDP and United Kingdom at 100.2% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

YearIranUnited Kingdom
202535.6102.1
202431.299.4
202329.698.3
202234.597.1
202139.9103
202047.1104.4
201944.684.5
201841.685.3
201743.285.9
20164687.2
201532.187.3
201410.986.4
201310.284.8
201211.884
201110.681
201012.875.5
200911.564.6
200810.650.7
200713.543.1
200615.242.1
200518.341
200421.139.8
20032236.8
200223.435.5
20012135
200018.237.7
199922.240.5
199829.642
199730.944.1
199629.343.7
1995–43.7
1994–40.8
1993–38
1992–33.3
1991–28.5
1990–28.5
1989–32.6
1988–37.1
1987–39.3
1986–41.4
1985–41.4
1984–42.3
1983–41.9
1982–43.1
1981–44.9
1980–42.7
  • 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearIranUnited Kingdom
202639.1102
202740.2102.5
202840.8102.3
202941.7101.6
203042.7100.9
203143.4100.2

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 Kingdom

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