Central government debt, total in India
India: Central government debt, total was 46.5% in 2018. ▬ Flat
Central government debt, total in India, 1990–2018
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
India recorded 46.5% for central government debt, total in 2018.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 18.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in India peaked at 62.6% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 45.7%, in 1996.
That places India 51st out of 83 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
Central government debt, total in India, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 50.8% | — |
| 1991 | 50.0% | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 49.7% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 51.8% | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 49.6% | -4.2% |
| 1995 | 47.5% | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 45.7% | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 50.4% | +10.2% |
| 1998 | 50.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 51.4% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 55.0% | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 59.0% | +7.3% |
| 2002 | 62.6% | +6.0% |
| 2003 | 62.2% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 62.6% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 62.2% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 59.7% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 57.5% | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 57.3% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 55.3% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 51.6% | -6.6% |
| 2011 | 51.6% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 50.7% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 50.3% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 49.9% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 50.0% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 47.6% | -4.7% |
| 2017 | 47.6% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 46.5% | -2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.7% | 45.7% | 51.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.3% | 55.0% | 62.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.5% | 46.5% | 51.6% | 9 |
Countries ranked near India
- 48 Albania 50.0% compare
- 49 Armenia 47.9%
- 50 Republic of Korea 47.8% compare
- 52 Saint Lucia 45.9% compare
- 53 Philippines 43.4% compare
- 54 Mongolia 43.3% compare
More economy & growth data for India
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 5.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 5.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.346 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 935.14 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), annual growth rate 9.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per unit of GDP 30.22 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per capita 81,663 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 6.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.305 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in India?
- Central government debt, total in India was 46.5% in 2018, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 62.6% in 2004.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.7% in 1996.
- How does India rank for central government debt, total?
- India ranks 51st out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this India 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.
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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.