Nigeria vs United States

Nigeria vs United States: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 36.1% of GDP in Nigeria and 124.4% of GDP in United States, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 88.3 percentage points, or 3.45 times that in Nigeria.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

Nigeria vs United States: Government debtGovernment debt in 2025: 36.1% of GDP in Nigeria and 124.4% of GDP in United States, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 88.3 percentage points, or 3.45 times that in Nigeria.
NigeriaUnited StatesIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • United States has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2001.
  • In 2025, Nigeria ranked 114 and United States ranked 6 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Nigeria at 31.9% of GDP and United States at 145% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

YearNigeriaUnited States
202536.1124.4
202439.3122.3
202336.3120
202229.8119.2
202126.6125
202025.7132.6
201921.4108.8
201820.4107.7
201718106.5
201617.4107.5
201514.9105.5
201415.8105
201313105
201212.5103.7
201112.4100
20106.795.7
20096.187.1
20085.273.9
20075.865
20066.764.6
200513.565.8
200425.266.4
200329.959
200230.755.9
200137.753.5
200040.9–
199946.1–
199815.8–
199717.1–
199617.9–
199524.2–
199439.7–
199350.4–
199249.8–
199153.2–
199050.9–
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearNigeriaUnited States
202634.7126.8
202732.8128.7
202832.9132.3
202932.5136.4
203032.2140.7
203131.9145

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

Nigeria vs United States

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