Central government debt, total in Australia
Australia: Central government debt, total was 57.9% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Central government debt, total in Australia, 1990–2022
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Australia recorded 57.9% for central government debt, total in 2022.
The figure is down 17.1% on the previous year and up 47.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in Australia peaked at 69.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 11.9%, in 1991.
That places Australia 35th out of 83 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Central government debt, total in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 12.2% | — |
| 1991 | 11.9% | -2.5% |
| 1992 | 14.1% | +18.7% |
| 1993 | 17.8% | +26.4% |
| 1994 | 20.2% | +12.9% |
| 1995 | 21.6% | +7.4% |
| 1996 | 21.8% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 20.8% | -4.4% |
| 1998 | 16.8% | -19.1% |
| 1999 | 31.0% | +84.1% |
| 2000 | 29.5% | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 27.6% | -6.2% |
| 2002 | 25.8% | -6.5% |
| 2003 | 25.0% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 22.8% | -8.8% |
| 2005 | 22.4% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 21.4% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 20.1% | -6.3% |
| 2008 | 18.1% | -9.6% |
| 2009 | 23.8% | +31.2% |
| 2010 | 28.6% | +20.1% |
| 2011 | 30.0% | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 39.3% | +31.0% |
| 2013 | 37.4% | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 41.5% | +11.1% |
| 2015 | 46.3% | +11.4% |
| 2016 | 54.5% | +17.6% |
| 2017 | 53.1% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 54.3% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 60.0% | +10.5% |
| 2020 | 69.1% | +15.1% |
| 2021 | 69.8% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 57.9% | -17.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.8% | 11.9% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.7% | 18.1% | 29.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.5% | 28.6% | 60.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.6% | 57.9% | 69.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More economy & growth data for Australia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.36 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate -2.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.3592 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 23,391 current LCU per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 0.7921 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1832 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 11,934 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 3.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2433 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in Australia?
- Central government debt, total in Australia was 57.9% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 69.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.9% in 1991.
- How does Australia rank for central government debt, total?
- Australia ranks 35th out of 83 countries with data for 2022.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.