Denmark vs Switzerland: Government debt by instrument coverage — SDRs, currency and deposits

Denmark
33.69 Percentage of GDP
in 2026
Switzerland
39.64 Percentage of GDP
in 2026
Denmark rank
20th
Switzerland rank
18th

Government debt by instrument coverage — SDRs, currency and deposits over time

  • Denmark
  • Switzerland
0204060199520102026

How they compare

Switzerland currently reports 39.64 Percentage of GDP against 33.69 Percentage of GDP in Denmark, a difference of 5.95 Percentage of GDP.

That makes Switzerland's figure about 1.2 times Denmark's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 27 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Denmark ahead.

Denmark ranks 20th and Switzerland ranks 18th of 20 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 2 and Switzerland in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Denmark Switzerland Difference Ahead
2000s 48.72 Percentage of GDP 49.51 Percentage of GDP 0.7929 Percentage of GDP Switzerland
2010s 49.8 Percentage of GDP 38.73 Percentage of GDP 11.07 Percentage of GDP Denmark
2020s 40.91 Percentage of GDP 39.43 Percentage of GDP 1.47 Percentage of GDP Denmark

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits, Denmark or Switzerland?
Switzerland, at 39.64 Percentage of GDP against 33.69 Percentage of GDP in Denmark as of 2026.
What is the difference in government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits between Denmark and Switzerland?
5.95 Percentage of GDP, with Switzerland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Switzerland?
27 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2026.
How do Denmark and Switzerland rank globally for government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits?
Denmark ranks 20th and Switzerland ranks 18th of 20 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Government debt by instrument coverage — SDRs, currency and deposits, debt securities, loans and other accounts payable. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Denmark vs Switzerland: Government debt by instrument coverage — SDRs, currency and deposits. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/government-debt-by-instrument-coverage-sdrs-currency-and-deposits-debt-securities-loans/denmark/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator
Government debt by instrument coverage — SDRs, currency and deposits, debt securities, loans and other accounts payable
Unit
Percentage of GDP
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
29 places, 803 data points, 1995–2026
Last refreshed

The magnitude of government debt and debt-to-GDP ratios varies depending on which measure of debt is used. To promote international comparability, the IMF, the OECD and the World Bank have agreed on a set of standard debt measures, which are defined in the Public Sector Debt Statistics Guide for Compilers and Users and the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014. Government gross debt is shown in four categories: D1 to D4. D1 is the narrowest measure, comprising only two financial instruments: debt securities and loans. D4 (‘total gross debt’) is the broadest measure and includes debt securities, loans, Special Drawing Rights, currency and deposits, other accounts payable and insurance, pensions and standardised guarantees. The D1 to D3 measures are comparable between OECD countries. D4 is the preferred measure of debt in the international accounting standards (System of National Accounts or SNA) but cross-country comparability is more difficult for D4 because countries have different approaches to recording unfunded pension liabilities for government employees. For more information, please see the document: Measuring Government Debt: D1-D4