Australia
Government debt in Australia
Government debt in Australia: 17% of GDP in 1989 and 51.9% of GDP in 2025, by IMF estimates.
- Latest, 2025
- 51.9% of GDP
- Since 1989
- +34.9 percentage points
- Rank, 2025
- 79 of 149
- counting from the highest
- Projected, 2031
- 54.3% of GDP
- IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts it at 54.3% of GDP in 2031.
- The highest was 56.9% of GDP in 2020, the lowest 9.6% of GDP in 2007.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Australia |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 51.9 |
| 2024 | 50.9 |
| 2023 | 49.4 |
| 2022 | 50 |
| 2021 | 55.4 |
| 2020 | 56.9 |
| 2019 | 46.5 |
| 2018 | 41.6 |
| 2017 | 41 |
| 2016 | 40.5 |
| 2015 | 37.6 |
| 2014 | 33.9 |
| 2013 | 30.3 |
| 2012 | 27.4 |
| 2011 | 24 |
| 2010 | 20.3 |
| 2009 | 16.6 |
| 2008 | 11.7 |
| 2007 | 9.6 |
| 2006 | 9.9 |
| 2005 | 10.8 |
| 2004 | 11.9 |
| 2003 | 13.2 |
| 2002 | 15 |
| 2001 | 17.1 |
| 2000 | 19.5 |
| 1999 | 22.5 |
| 1998 | 23.7 |
| 1997 | 25.9 |
| 1996 | 29.3 |
| 1995 | 31.1 |
| 1994 | 31.7 |
| 1993 | 30.6 |
| 1992 | 27.6 |
| 1991 | 21.6 |
| 1990 | 16.4 |
| 1989 | 17 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Australia |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 52.6 |
| 2027 | 53.2 |
| 2028 | 53.7 |
| 2029 | 54.1 |
| 2030 | 54.3 |
| 2031 | 54.3 |
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
Australia in numbers
Every measure for Australia on one page
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Military
- Military spending1.92% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$35.3B in 2025
- Military spending per person$1,316 in 2025
- Military share of state spending4.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel60,000 people in 2020
- National power0.6% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers0.44% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms imports826 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exports108 million TIV in 2025