Italy vs Japan
Italy vs Japan: Government debt
Government debt: 137.1% of GDP in Italy in 2025 and 213.6% of GDP in Japan in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Japan, by 78.9 percentage points, or 1.59 times that in Italy.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Japan has been higher since 1999, when it overtook Italy.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Italy at 135.6% of GDP and Japan at 188.9% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Italy | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 137.1 | 204.8 |
| 2024 | 134.7 | 213.6 |
| 2023 | 133.9 | 220.1 |
| 2022 | 138.4 | 228 |
| 2021 | 145.8 | 222.6 |
| 2020 | 154.4 | 228.8 |
| 2019 | 133.9 | 206.3 |
| 2018 | 134.2 | 203.7 |
| 2017 | 133.7 | 203.1 |
| 2016 | 134.2 | 202.1 |
| 2015 | 134.8 | 200.1 |
| 2014 | 134.8 | 203.6 |
| 2013 | 131.9 | 201.2 |
| 2012 | 125.9 | 197.1 |
| 2011 | 119.1 | 190.6 |
| 2010 | 118.8 | 178.6 |
| 2009 | 116.1 | 172.9 |
| 2008 | 105.8 | 153.6 |
| 2007 | 103.5 | 150.4 |
| 2006 | 106.3 | 152.1 |
| 2005 | 106.2 | 153.4 |
| 2004 | 104.7 | 148.8 |
| 2003 | 105.1 | 140.2 |
| 2002 | 105.9 | 134.6 |
| 2001 | 108.5 | 126.8 |
| 2000 | 108.7 | 118.5 |
| 1999 | 113.1 | 113.5 |
| 1998 | 113.9 | 101.6 |
| 1997 | 116.5 | 91.3 |
| 1996 | 118.9 | 85.3 |
| 1995 | 119.1 | 80.7 |
| 1994 | 130.8 | 73.3 |
| 1993 | 124.1 | 63.2 |
| 1992 | 113 | 57.9 |
| 1991 | 105.3 | 54.1 |
| 1990 | 101.7 | 54.8 |
| 1989 | 98.4 | 56.9 |
| 1988 | 95.7 | 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 | Italy | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 137.9 | 199.4 |
| 2027 | 137.6 | 196.4 |
| 2028 | 137 | 193.8 |
| 2029 | 136.2 | 191.5 |
| 2030 | 135.8 | 190.1 |
| 2031 | 135.6 | 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
Italy vs Japan
Health
- Life expectancyItaly: 83.7 years in 2023Japan: 84.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityItaly: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Japan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityItaly: 2.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023Japan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterItaly: 92.7% in 2022Japan: 98.7% in 2022
- DepressionItaly: 3.46% in 2017Japan: 3.34% in 2017
- Suicide rateItaly: 4.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Japan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationItaly: 59.5 million people in 2023Japan: 124 million people in 2023
- Population growthItaly: -0.22% a year in 2023Japan: -0.48% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateItaly: 1.2 births per woman in 2023Japan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationItaly: 69.7% in 2025Japan: 92.3% in 2025
- Median ageItaly: 47.5 years in 2023Japan: 49 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overItaly: 24.2% in 2023Japan: 29.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateItaly: 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2023Japan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingItaly: 1.89% of GDP in 2025Japan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsItaly: $45.4B in 2025Japan: $59.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personItaly: $813 in 2025Japan: $504 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingItaly: 3.7% of government spending in 2025Japan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelItaly: 338,000 people in 2020Japan: 261,000 people in 2020
- National powerItaly: 0.96% of world capability in 2022Japan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersItaly: 1.35% of the labour force in 2020Japan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsItaly: 566 million TIV in 2025Japan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsItaly: 1.92 billion TIV in 2025Japan: 28 million TIV in 2025