Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 31.8% of GDP in Saudi Arabia and 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 2.1 percentage points, or 1.06 times that in Saudi Arabia.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

Saudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher since 2009, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.
In 2025, Saudi Arabia ranked 122 and United Arab Emirates ranked 120 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Saudi Arabia at 48.7% of GDP and United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
2025	31.8	33.9
2024	25.9	33.2
2023	23	31.9
2022	21.3	31.5
2021	25.5	35.7
2020	29.7	30.1
2019	20.3	25.8
2018	16.8	20.7
2017	16	21.2
2016	12.3	18.6
2015	5.5	15.6
2014	1.5	13.5
2013	2.1	15.3
2012	3	20.2
2011	5.3	20.4
2010	8.4	18.3
2009	14	21.1
2008	12.1	8.9
2007	17.1	8.9
2006	25.8	5.1
2005	37.3	4.5
2004	62.9	4.1
2003	81.6	3.3
2002	96.4	3.4
2001	93.2	2.7
2000	86.7	3.1
1999	103	4.7
1998	101.5	–
1997	76.7	–
1996	75.2	–
1995	74.3	–
1994	67.9	–
1993	58.6	–
1992	47.8	–
1991	39.4	–

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

Year	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
2026	35.4	32.8
2027	37.3	30.8
2028	40.2	29
2029	43.1	27.4
2030	45.9	27
2031	48.7	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