Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) vs United States: Central government debt, total
Central government debt, total over time
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 115.8% against 31.9% in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), a difference of 83.9%.
That makes United States's figure about 3.6 times Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)'s.
Across all 16 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 6th and United States ranks 4th of 7 groups.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.3% | 70.0% | 31.7% | United States |
| 2010s | 32.6% | 95.0% | 62.4% | United States |
| 2020s | 36.5% | 117.6% | 81.1% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher central government debt, total, Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) or United States?
- United States, at 115.8% against 31.9% in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) as of 2024.
- What is the difference in central government debt, total between Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) and United States?
- 83.9%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) and United States?
- 16 years are reported by both, from 2008 to 2023.
- How do Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) and United States rank globally for central government debt, total?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 6th and United States ranks 4th of 7 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Central government debt, total (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
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About this data
Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.