United Kingdom vs United States

United Kingdom vs United States: Government debt

Government debt in 2025: 102.1% of GDP in United Kingdom and 124.4% of GDP in United States, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 22.3 percentage points, or 1.22 times that in United Kingdom.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

United Kingdom vs United States: Government debtGovernment debt in 2025: 102.1% of GDP in United Kingdom and 124.4% of GDP in United States, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 22.3 percentage points, or 1.22 times that in United Kingdom.
United KingdomUnited 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 Kingdom ranked 12 and United States ranked 6 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts United Kingdom at 100.2% of GDP and United States at 145% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

YearUnited KingdomUnited States
2025102.1124.4
202499.4122.3
202398.3120
202297.1119.2
2021103125
2020104.4132.6
201984.5108.8
201885.3107.7
201785.9106.5
201687.2107.5
201587.3105.5
201486.4105
201384.8105
201284103.7
201181100
201075.595.7
200964.687.1
200850.773.9
200743.165
200642.164.6
20054165.8
200439.866.4
200336.859
200235.555.9
20013553.5
200037.7–
199940.5–
199842–
199744.1–
199643.7–
199543.7–
199440.8–
199338–
199233.3–
199128.5–
199028.5–
198932.6–
198837.1–
198739.3–
198641.4–
198541.4–
198442.3–
198341.9–
198243.1–
198144.9–
198042.7–
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearUnited KingdomUnited States
2026102126.8
2027102.5128.7
2028102.3132.3
2029101.6136.4
2030100.9140.7
2031100.2145

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

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