Switzerland vs United Arab Emirates: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 40.1% of GDP in Switzerland and 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Switzerland, by 6.2 percentage points, or 1.18 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

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

What the numbers say

Switzerland has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1999.
In 2025, Switzerland ranked 106 and United Arab Emirates ranked 120 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Switzerland at 35.9% of GDP and United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Switzerland	United Arab Emirates
2025	40.1	33.9
2024	40.4	33.2
2023	40.2	31.9
2022	39.2	31.5
2021	43.3	35.7
2020	45.3	30.1
2019	41	25.8
2018	41.1	20.7
2017	42	21.2
2016	42	18.6
2015	43.1	15.6
2014	42.9	13.5
2013	42.9	15.3
2012	43.6	20.2
2011	42.9	20.4
2010	42.6	18.3
2009	44.3	21.1
2008	46.2	8.9
2007	45.9	8.9
2006	47.9	5.1
2005	54.2	4.5
2004	57.2	4.1
2003	56.3	3.3
2002	57	3.4
2001	50.8	2.7
2000	51.9	3.1
1999	52	4.7
1998	55.4	–
1997	53.1	–
1996	50.7	–
1995	49.4	–
1994	46.5	–
1993	43.8	–
1992	39.1	–
1991	34.8	–
1990	33.1	–

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

Year	Switzerland	United Arab Emirates
2026	38.3	32.8
2027	37.8	30.8
2028	37.1	29
2029	37	27.4
2030	36.2	27
2031	35.9	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