Central government debt, total in North America
North America: Central government debt, total was 111.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Central government debt, total in North America, 1989–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, central government debt, total in North America stood at 111.4%.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in North America peaked at 120.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 35.4%, in 2000.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Central government debt, total in North America, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 39.1% | — |
| 1990 | 42.7% | +9.2% |
| 1991 | 46.1% | +7.8% |
| 1992 | 48.2% | +4.6% |
| 1993 | 50.5% | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 49.8% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 49.8% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 49.4% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 46.7% | -5.4% |
| 1998 | 43.8% | -6.3% |
| 1999 | 40.2% | -8.3% |
| 2000 | 35.4% | -11.8% |
| 2001 | 53.0% | +49.7% |
| 2002 | 54.1% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 56.0% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 56.0% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 55.8% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 54.6% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 54.4% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 62.4% | +14.7% |
| 2009 | 74.1% | +18.8% |
| 2010 | 82.4% | +11.3% |
| 2011 | 86.7% | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 90.6% | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 91.9% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 91.9% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 92.7% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 94.5% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 93.6% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 94.7% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 96.2% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 120.2% | +25.0% |
| 2021 | 114.1% | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 108.2% | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 110.1% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 111.4% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.1% | 39.1% | 39.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 46.7% | 40.2% | 50.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.6% | 35.4% | 74.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.5% | 82.4% | 96.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 112.8% | 108.2% | 120.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 1 Singapore 167.8% compare
- 2 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 130.7% compare
- 3 Barbados 125.0% compare
- 4 United States of America 115.8% compare
More economy & growth data for North America
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0142 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 30.35 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 469.55 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,250 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0145 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 479.40 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- GDP (current US$), annual growth rate 4.82 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7546 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 52,472 current US$ per person (2021)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 11.31 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in North America?
- Central government debt, total in North America was 111.4% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 120.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.4% in 2000.
- How does North America rank for central government debt, total?
- North America ranks 1st out of 7 groups with data for 2024.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America 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.