Singapore vs United Arab Emirates: Government debt

Government debt: 165.8% of GDP in Singapore in 2024 and 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Singapore, by 132.6 percentage points, or 4.99 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

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

What the numbers say

Singapore has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1999.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Singapore at 169.2% of GDP and United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Singapore	United Arab Emirates
2025	165.7	33.9
2024	165.8	33.2
2023	170.4	31.9
2022	153.3	31.5
2021	139.9	35.7
2020	147.1	30.1
2019	127.7	25.8
2018	109.2	20.7
2017	107.3	21.2
2016	105.9	18.6
2015	102.1	15.6
2014	97.8	13.5
2013	98.2	15.3
2012	106.7	20.2
2011	103.1	20.4
2010	98.7	18.3
2009	101.7	21.1
2008	97.9	8.9
2007	87.8	8.9
2006	86.5	5.1
2005	92.7	4.5
2004	95.7	4.1
2003	99.1	3.3
2002	96.3	3.4
2001	94.5	2.7
2000	82.3	3.1
1999	85.3	4.7
1998	84.7	–
1997	70.8	–
1996	71.3	–
1995	69.8	–
1994	70.7	–
1993	71.2	–
1992	79	–
1991	76.4	–
1990	73.5	–

12.3Projected

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

Year	Singapore	United Arab Emirates
2026	166.4	32.8
2027	167.1	30.8
2028	167.9	29
2029	168.5	27.4
2030	169	27
2031	169.2	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