Russia vs United Arab Emirates: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 16.6% of GDP in Russia and 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 17.3 percentage points, or 2.04 times that in Russia.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

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

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher since 2015, when it overtook Russia.
In 2025, Russia ranked 144 and United Arab Emirates ranked 120 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Russia at 30.7% of GDP and United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Russia	United Arab Emirates
2025	16.6	33.9
2024	14.8	33.2
2023	15.2	31.9
2022	15.1	31.5
2021	16.5	35.7
2020	19.2	30.1
2019	13.8	25.8
2018	13.6	20.7
2017	14.3	21.2
2016	14.9	18.6
2015	15.3	15.6
2014	15.1	13.5
2013	12.4	15.3
2012	11.2	20.2
2011	10.3	20.4
2010	10.1	18.3
2009	9.9	21.1
2008	7.4	8.9
2007	8	8.9
2006	9.8	5.1
2005	14.9	4.5
2004	20.8	4.1
2003	28.3	3.3
2002	37.6	3.4
2001	44.4	2.7
2000	55.9	3.1
1999	92.4	4.7
1998	135.2	–
1997	51.5	–

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

Year	Russia	United Arab Emirates
2026	19.3	32.8
2027	22.2	30.8
2028	24.8	29
2029	27.2	27.4
2030	29.1	27
2031	30.7	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

Russia vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsRussia: 70 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022