United Arab Emirates vs United States: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 33.9% of GDP in United Arab Emirates and 124.4% of GDP in United States, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 90.5 percentage points, or 3.67 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

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

What the numbers say

United States has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2001.
In 2025, United Arab Emirates ranked 120 and United States ranked 6 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 States at 145% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	United Arab Emirates	United States
2025	33.9	124.4
2024	33.2	122.3
2023	31.9	120
2022	31.5	119.2
2021	35.7	125
2020	30.1	132.6
2019	25.8	108.8
2018	20.7	107.7
2017	21.2	106.5
2016	18.6	107.5
2015	15.6	105.5
2014	13.5	105
2013	15.3	105
2012	20.2	103.7
2011	20.4	100
2010	18.3	95.7
2009	21.1	87.1
2008	8.9	73.9
2007	8.9	65
2006	5.1	64.6
2005	4.5	65.8
2004	4.1	66.4
2003	3.3	59
2002	3.4	55.9
2001	2.7	53.5
2000	3.1	–
1999	4.7	–

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

Year	United Arab Emirates	United States
2026	32.8	126.8
2027	30.8	128.7
2028	29	132.3
2029	27.4	136.4
2030	27	140.7
2031	26.1	145

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