Spain vs Netherlands
Spain vs Netherlands: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 100.5% of GDP in Spain and 44.7% of GDP in Netherlands, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Spain, by 55.8 percentage points, or 2.25 times that in Netherlands.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Spain has been higher since 2010, when it overtook Netherlands.
- In 2025, Spain ranked 14 and Netherlands ranked 93 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Spain at 89.4% of GDP and Netherlands at 48% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Spain | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 100.5 | 44.7 |
| 2024 | 101.4 | 44 |
| 2023 | 105.2 | 45.9 |
| 2022 | 109.2 | 48.4 |
| 2021 | 115.6 | 50.5 |
| 2020 | 119.2 | 53.4 |
| 2019 | 97.6 | 47.7 |
| 2018 | 99.7 | 51.6 |
| 2017 | 101.1 | 56 |
| 2016 | 102 | 60.9 |
| 2015 | 102.4 | 63.8 |
| 2014 | 104.4 | 67.2 |
| 2013 | 100 | 67.2 |
| 2012 | 89.6 | 65.7 |
| 2011 | 69.5 | 61.2 |
| 2010 | 60.3 | 58.9 |
| 2009 | 53.1 | 56.3 |
| 2008 | 39.6 | 54.4 |
| 2007 | 35.7 | 42.7 |
| 2006 | 39 | 45 |
| 2005 | 42.4 | 49.6 |
| 2004 | 45.3 | 50.1 |
| 2003 | 47.7 | 49.8 |
| 2002 | 51.2 | 48.7 |
| 2001 | 54.1 | 49.4 |
| 2000 | 57.8 | 52.2 |
| 1999 | 60.9 | 58.6 |
| 1998 | 62.4 | 62.7 |
| 1997 | 64.3 | 65.7 |
| 1996 | 65.4 | 71.3 |
| 1995 | 61.6 | 73 |
| 1994 | 57 | 73.5 |
| 1993 | 54.6 | 76.7 |
| 1992 | 44.1 | 75.6 |
| 1991 | 41.9 | 74.8 |
| 1990 | 41.3 | 75 |
| 1989 | 39.9 | 73.7 |
| 1988 | 38.5 | 73.7 |
| 1987 | 41.9 | 71.3 |
| 1986 | 42.1 | 69 |
| 1985 | 40.9 | 67.1 |
| 1984 | 36 | 61.9 |
| 1983 | 29.5 | 58.4 |
| 1982 | 24.4 | 52.4 |
| 1981 | 19.5 | 46.9 |
| 1980 | 16.1 | 43.6 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Spain | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 97.6 | 45.4 |
| 2027 | 95.2 | 45.7 |
| 2028 | 93.2 | 45.8 |
| 2029 | 92 | 46.3 |
| 2030 | 90.7 | 47.1 |
| 2031 | 89.4 | 48 |
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
Spain vs Netherlands
Health
- Life expectancySpain: 83.7 years in 2023Netherlands: 82.2 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySpain: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Netherlands: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySpain: 2.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterSpain: 99.6% in 2022Netherlands: 100% in 2022
- DepressionSpain: 3.54% in 2017Netherlands: 4.03% in 2017
- Suicide rateSpain: 5.5 per 100,000 people in 2017Netherlands: 9.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSpain: 47.9 million people in 2023Netherlands: 18.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthSpain: 0.02% a year in 2023Netherlands: 0.81% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSpain: 1.21 births per woman in 2023Netherlands: 1.43 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSpain: 80.5% in 2025Netherlands: 95.9% in 2025
- Median ageSpain: 44.9 years in 2023Netherlands: 41.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSpain: 20.7% in 2023Netherlands: 20.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateSpain: 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2023Netherlands: 8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSpain: 2.13% of GDP in 2025Netherlands: 2.2% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSpain: $37.7B in 2025Netherlands: $27B in 2025
- Military spending per personSpain: $839 in 2025Netherlands: $1,582 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSpain: 4.7% of government spending in 2025Netherlands: 4.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSpain: 199,000 people in 2020Netherlands: 41,000 people in 2020
- National powerSpain: 0.66% of world capability in 2022Netherlands: 0.38% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSpain: 0.87% of the labour force in 2020Netherlands: 0.42% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSpain: 237 million TIV in 2025Netherlands: 824 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSpain: 341 million TIV in 2025Netherlands: 601 million TIV in 2025