Syria vs United Arab Emirates: Government debt

Government debt: 31.2% of GDP in Syria in 2009 and 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2009 the value was higher in Syria, by 10.1 percentage points, or 1.48 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

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

What the numbers say

Syria has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1999.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Syria at 30% of GDP in 2010.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Syria	United Arab Emirates
2025	–	33.9
2024	–	33.2
2023	–	31.9
2022	–	31.5
2021	–	35.7
2020	–	30.1
2019	–	25.8
2018	–	20.7
2017	–	21.2
2016	–	18.6
2015	–	15.6
2014	–	13.5
2013	–	15.3
2012	–	20.2
2011	–	20.4
2010	30	18.3
2009	31.2	21.1
2008	37.3	8.9
2007	42.7	8.9
2006	45	5.1
2005	50.7	4.5
2004	113	4.1
2003	133.4	3.3
2002	132.4	3.4
2001	144.5	2.7
2000	152.1	3.1
1999	147.7	4.7
1998	151.2	–
1997	147.6	–
1996	141.5	–
1995	152.6	–
1994	163	–
1993	171.9	–
1992	173.6	–
1991	182.4	–
1990	189.8	–

12.3Projected

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

Year	Syria	United Arab Emirates
2026	–	32.8
2027	–	30.8
2028	–	29
2029	–	27.4
2030	–	27
2031	–	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

Syria vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSyria: 1,574 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022