Japan vs Spain
Japan vs Spain: Government debt
Government debt: 213.6% of GDP in Japan in 2024 and 100.5% of GDP in Spain in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Japan, by 112.2 percentage points, or 2.11 times that in Spain.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Japan has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1980.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Japan at 188.9% of GDP and Spain at 89.4% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Japan | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 204.8 | 100.5 |
| 2024 | 213.6 | 101.4 |
| 2023 | 220.1 | 105.2 |
| 2022 | 228 | 109.2 |
| 2021 | 222.6 | 115.6 |
| 2020 | 228.8 | 119.2 |
| 2019 | 206.3 | 97.6 |
| 2018 | 203.7 | 99.7 |
| 2017 | 203.1 | 101.1 |
| 2016 | 202.1 | 102 |
| 2015 | 200.1 | 102.4 |
| 2014 | 203.6 | 104.4 |
| 2013 | 201.2 | 100 |
| 2012 | 197.1 | 89.6 |
| 2011 | 190.6 | 69.5 |
| 2010 | 178.6 | 60.3 |
| 2009 | 172.9 | 53.1 |
| 2008 | 153.6 | 39.6 |
| 2007 | 150.4 | 35.7 |
| 2006 | 152.1 | 39 |
| 2005 | 153.4 | 42.4 |
| 2004 | 148.8 | 45.3 |
| 2003 | 140.2 | 47.7 |
| 2002 | 134.6 | 51.2 |
| 2001 | 126.8 | 54.1 |
| 2000 | 118.5 | 57.8 |
| 1999 | 113.5 | 60.9 |
| 1998 | 101.6 | 62.4 |
| 1997 | 91.3 | 64.3 |
| 1996 | 85.3 | 65.4 |
| 1995 | 80.7 | 61.6 |
| 1994 | 73.3 | 57 |
| 1993 | 63.2 | 54.6 |
| 1992 | 57.9 | 44.1 |
| 1991 | 54.1 | 41.9 |
| 1990 | 54.8 | 41.3 |
| 1989 | 56.9 | 39.9 |
| 1988 | 62.4 | 38.5 |
| 1987 | 65.8 | 41.9 |
| 1986 | 64.2 | 42.1 |
| 1985 | 59.2 | 40.9 |
| 1984 | 56.9 | 36 |
| 1983 | 55.1 | 29.5 |
| 1982 | 50.1 | 24.4 |
| 1981 | 45.8 | 19.5 |
| 1980 | 41.4 | 16.1 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Japan | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 199.4 | 97.6 |
| 2027 | 196.4 | 95.2 |
| 2028 | 193.8 | 93.2 |
| 2029 | 191.5 | 92 |
| 2030 | 190.1 | 90.7 |
| 2031 | 188.9 | 89.4 |
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
Japan vs Spain
Health
- Life expectancyJapan: 84.7 years in 2023Spain: 83.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityJapan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024Spain: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityJapan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023Spain: 2.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterJapan: 98.7% in 2022Spain: 99.6% in 2022
- DepressionJapan: 3.34% in 2017Spain: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateJapan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017Spain: 5.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationJapan: 124 million people in 2023Spain: 47.9 million people in 2023
- Population growthJapan: -0.48% a year in 2023Spain: 0.02% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateJapan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023Spain: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationJapan: 92.3% in 2025Spain: 80.5% in 2025
- Median ageJapan: 49 years in 2023Spain: 44.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overJapan: 29.6% in 2023Spain: 20.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateJapan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Spain: 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingJapan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025Spain: 2.13% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsJapan: $59.5B in 2025Spain: $37.7B in 2025
- Military spending per personJapan: $504 in 2025Spain: $839 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingJapan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025Spain: 4.7% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelJapan: 261,000 people in 2020Spain: 199,000 people in 2020
- National powerJapan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022Spain: 0.66% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersJapan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020Spain: 0.87% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsJapan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025Spain: 237 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsJapan: 28 million TIV in 2025Spain: 341 million TIV in 2025