Myanmar (Burma) vs Papua New Guinea: Government debt

Government debt: 37.6% of GDP in Myanmar (Burma) in 2019 and 51.6% of GDP in Papua New Guinea in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2019 the value was higher in Papua New Guinea, by 0.6 percentage points, or 1.02 times that in Myanmar (Burma).

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

Myanmar (Burma)Papua New GuineaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

Papua New Guinea has been higher since 2019, when it overtook Myanmar (Burma).
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Myanmar (Burma) at 56% of GDP and Papua New Guinea at 31.9% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Myanmar (Burma)	Papua New Guinea
2025	52	51.6
2024	50.7	53.3
2023	53.2	54.8
2022	56	49.2
2021	63.4	53.8
2020	49.1	48.7
2019	37.6	38.2
2018	39.9	36.7
2017	41.9	32.5
2016	35.7	33.7
2015	36.6	29.9
2014	34.5	26.9
2013	44.9	24.9
2012	48	19.1
2011	49.9	16.3
2010	54.4	17.3
2009	56.4	21.7
2008	59.8	21.6
2007	77.4	22.2
2006	103.1	26
2005	119	31.6
2004	126.6	37.2
2003	146	40.4
2002	190.6	48.4
2001	262	47.7
2000	164.5	42.3
1999	150.7	41.8
1998	208.6	45.7
1997	–	43.9
1996	–	37.8
1995	–	36.6
1994	–	40.1

12.3Projected

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

Year	Myanmar (Burma)	Papua New Guinea
2026	53.3	46.8
2027	54.6	42
2028	55.3	39.1
2029	55.3	36.6
2030	55.7	34.2
2031	56	31.9

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