Saudi Arabia vs United Kingdom

Saudi Arabia vs United Kingdom: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 31.8% of GDP in Saudi Arabia and 102.1% of GDP in United Kingdom, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 70.3 percentage points, or 3.21 times that in Saudi Arabia.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

Saudi Arabia vs United Kingdom: Government debtGovernment debt in 2025: 31.8% of GDP in Saudi Arabia and 102.1% of GDP in United Kingdom, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 70.3 percentage points, or 3.21 times that in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi ArabiaUnited KingdomIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • United Kingdom has been higher since 2005, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.
  • In 2025, Saudi Arabia ranked 122 and United Kingdom ranked 12 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 Kingdom at 100.2% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

YearSaudi ArabiaUnited Kingdom
202531.8102.1
202425.999.4
20232398.3
202221.397.1
202125.5103
202029.7104.4
201920.384.5
201816.885.3
20171685.9
201612.387.2
20155.587.3
20141.586.4
20132.184.8
2012384
20115.381
20108.475.5
20091464.6
200812.150.7
200717.143.1
200625.842.1
200537.341
200462.939.8
200381.636.8
200296.435.5
200193.235
200086.737.7
199910340.5
1998101.542
199776.744.1
199675.243.7
199574.343.7
199467.940.8
199358.638
199247.833.3
199139.428.5
1990–28.5
1989–32.6
1988–37.1
1987–39.3
1986–41.4
1985–41.4
1984–42.3
1983–41.9
1982–43.1
1981–44.9
1980–42.7
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearSaudi ArabiaUnited Kingdom
202635.4102
202737.3102.5
202840.2102.3
202943.1101.6
203045.9100.9
203148.7100.2

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

Saudi Arabia vs United Kingdom

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