Kenya vs United Arab Emirates: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 71.3% of GDP in Kenya and 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Kenya, by 37.4 percentage points, or 2.1 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

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

What the numbers say

Kenya has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1999.
In 2025, Kenya ranked 36 and United Arab Emirates ranked 120 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Kenya at 74% of GDP and United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Kenya	United Arab Emirates
2025	71.3	33.9
2024	67.3	33.2
2023	73.4	31.9
2022	67.8	31.5
2021	68.2	35.7
2020	68	30.1
2019	59.1	25.8
2018	56.5	20.7
2017	53.9	21.2
2016	50.4	18.6
2015	45.8	15.6
2014	41.3	13.5
2013	39.8	15.3
2012	37.6	20.2
2011	35.7	20.4
2010	36.7	18.3
2009	36	21.1
2008	34.3	8.9
2007	34.2	8.9
2006	37.1	5.1
2005	37.4	4.5
2004	40.8	4.1
2003	43.8	3.3
2002	42	3.4
2001	41.3	2.7
2000	43.1	3.1
1999	38.4	4.7
1998	38.5	–

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

Year	Kenya	United Arab Emirates
2026	72.9	32.8
2027	73.8	30.8
2028	74.5	29
2029	74.4	27.4
2030	74.3	27
2031	74	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

Kenya vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsKenya: 81 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022