Netherlands vs United Arab Emirates: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 44.7% of GDP in Netherlands and 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Netherlands, by 10.9 percentage points, or 1.32 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

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

What the numbers say

Netherlands has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1999.
In 2025, Netherlands ranked 93 and United Arab Emirates ranked 120 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Netherlands at 48% of GDP and United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Netherlands	United Arab Emirates
2025	44.7	33.9
2024	44	33.2
2023	45.9	31.9
2022	48.4	31.5
2021	50.5	35.7
2020	53.4	30.1
2019	47.7	25.8
2018	51.6	20.7
2017	56	21.2
2016	60.9	18.6
2015	63.8	15.6
2014	67.2	13.5
2013	67.2	15.3
2012	65.7	20.2
2011	61.2	20.4
2010	58.9	18.3
2009	56.3	21.1
2008	54.4	8.9
2007	42.7	8.9
2006	45	5.1
2005	49.6	4.5
2004	50.1	4.1
2003	49.8	3.3
2002	48.7	3.4
2001	49.4	2.7
2000	52.2	3.1
1999	58.6	4.7
1998	62.7	–
1997	65.7	–
1996	71.3	–
1995	73	–
1994	73.5	–
1993	76.7	–
1992	75.6	–
1991	74.8	–
1990	75	–
1989	73.7	–
1988	73.7	–
1987	71.3	–
1986	69	–
1985	67.1	–
1984	61.9	–
1983	58.4	–
1982	52.4	–
1981	46.9	–
1980	43.6	–

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

Year	Netherlands	United Arab Emirates
2026	45.4	32.8
2027	45.7	30.8
2028	45.8	29
2029	46.3	27.4
2030	47.1	27
2031	48	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