United Arab Emirates vs United Kingdom: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates and 102.1% of GDP in United Kingdom, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 68.2 percentage points, or 3.02 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

United Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

United Kingdom has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1999.
In 2025, United Arab Emirates ranked 120 and United Kingdom ranked 12 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts United Arab Emirates at 26.1% of GDP and United Kingdom at 100.2% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	United Arab Emirates	United Kingdom
2025	33.9	102.1
2024	33.2	99.4
2023	31.9	98.3
2022	31.5	97.1
2021	35.7	103
2020	30.1	104.4
2019	25.8	84.5
2018	20.7	85.3
2017	21.2	85.9
2016	18.6	87.2
2015	15.6	87.3
2014	13.5	86.4
2013	15.3	84.8
2012	20.2	84
2011	20.4	81
2010	18.3	75.5
2009	21.1	64.6
2008	8.9	50.7
2007	8.9	43.1
2006	5.1	42.1
2005	4.5	41
2004	4.1	39.8
2003	3.3	36.8
2002	3.4	35.5
2001	2.7	35
2000	3.1	37.7
1999	4.7	40.5
1998	–	42
1997	–	44.1
1996	–	43.7
1995	–	43.7
1994	–	40.8
1993	–	38
1992	–	33.3
1991	–	28.5
1990	–	28.5
1989	–	32.6
1988	–	37.1
1987	–	39.3
1986	–	41.4
1985	–	41.4
1984	–	42.3
1983	–	41.9
1982	–	43.1
1981	–	44.9
1980	–	42.7

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

Year	United Arab Emirates	United Kingdom
2026	32.8	102
2027	30.8	102.5
2028	29	102.3
2029	27.4	101.6
2030	27	100.9
2031	26.1	100.2

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