Iraq vs Kuwait

Iraq vs Kuwait: Government debt

Government debt: 52.8% of GDP in Iraq in 2025 and 2.9% of GDP in Kuwait in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Iraq, by 42.7 percentage points, or 16 times that in Kuwait.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

Iraq vs Kuwait: Government debtGovernment debt: 52.8% of GDP in Iraq in 2025 and 2.9% of GDP in Kuwait in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Iraq, by 42.7 percentage points, or 16 times that in Kuwait.
IraqKuwaitIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • Iraq has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2004.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Iraq at 73.3% of GDP and Kuwait at 37.8% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

YearIraqKuwait
202552.814.7
202445.72.9
202342.13.1
2022393
202154.77.2
202072.510.2
201941.710.5
201844.414.3
201755.919.6
201660.39.9
201548.34.6
201427.63.4
2013323.1
201234.83.6
201140.74.6
201053.56.2
200987.46.7
200874.25.4
2007117.17
2006143.27.8
2005227.310.2
2004344.313.9
2003–17.3
2002–21.3
2001–23
2000–21.4
1999–25.5
1998–25.6
1997–24.3
1996–26.5
1995–34.9
1994–37.7
1993–28.8
1992–27.9
1991–45.3
  • 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearIraqKuwait
202671.126.6
202765.228.5
202862.931.8
202965.334.7
203068.736.5
203173.337.8

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

Iraq vs Kuwait

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