North America vs United Kingdom: Central government debt, total
Central government debt, total over time
- North America
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 130.7% against 111.4% in North America, a difference of 19.3%.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.2 times North America's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was North America ahead.
North America ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 2nd of 7 groups.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North America | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 46.7% | 60.7% | 13.9% | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 55.6% | 93.9% | 38.3% | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 91.5% | 148.9% | 57.4% | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 112.8% | 156.7% | 43.9% | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher central government debt, total, North America or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 130.7% against 111.4% in North America as of 2024.
- What is the difference in central government debt, total between North America and United Kingdom?
- 19.3%, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North America and United Kingdom?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do North America and United Kingdom rank globally for central government debt, total?
- North America ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 2nd 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.