Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in Switzerland
Switzerland: Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans was 23.55 Percentage of GDP in 2026. ▼ Falling
Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in Switzerland, 1995–2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Switzerland is 23.55 Percentage of GDP, measured in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Switzerland peaked at 45.52 Percentage of GDP in 1999 and was at its lowest, 22.98 Percentage of GDP, in 2025.
That places Switzerland 25th out of 25 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 38.99 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 1996 | 40.5 Percentage of GDP | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 42.19 Percentage of GDP | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 44.06 Percentage of GDP | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 45.52 Percentage of GDP | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 43.6 Percentage of GDP | -4.2% |
| 2001 | 42.27 Percentage of GDP | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 40.85 Percentage of GDP | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 44.78 Percentage of GDP | +9.6% |
| 2004 | 44.75 Percentage of GDP | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 44.09 Percentage of GDP | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 41.69 Percentage of GDP | -5.4% |
| 2007 | 36.23 Percentage of GDP | -13.1% |
| 2008 | 30.19 Percentage of GDP | -16.7% |
| 2009 | 29.78 Percentage of GDP | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 28.87 Percentage of GDP | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 26.21 Percentage of GDP | -9.2% |
| 2012 | 28.11 Percentage of GDP | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 28.36 Percentage of GDP | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 26.97 Percentage of GDP | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 28.13 Percentage of GDP | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 27.31 Percentage of GDP | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 26.49 Percentage of GDP | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 24.87 Percentage of GDP | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 23.4 Percentage of GDP | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 23.47 Percentage of GDP | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 26.27 Percentage of GDP | +11.9% |
| 2022 | 25.04 Percentage of GDP | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 23.03 Percentage of GDP | -8.0% |
| 2024 | 22.98 Percentage of GDP | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 22.98 Percentage of GDP | -0.0% |
| 2026 | 23.55 Percentage of GDP | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.25 Percentage of GDP | 38.99 Percentage of GDP | 45.52 Percentage of GDP | 5 |
| 2000s | 39.82 Percentage of GDP | 29.78 Percentage of GDP | 44.78 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.87 Percentage of GDP | 23.4 Percentage of GDP | 28.87 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.9 Percentage of GDP | 22.98 Percentage of GDP | 26.27 Percentage of GDP | 7 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More economy & growth data for Switzerland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.6894 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.2 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 7.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9739 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 111,777 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 1.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.8097 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 92,926 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 1.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.7919 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Switzerland?
- Government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Switzerland was 23.55 Percentage of GDP in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 45.52 Percentage of GDP in 1999.
- What is the lowest government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.98 Percentage of GDP in 2025.
- How does Switzerland rank for government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans?
- Switzerland ranks 25th out of 25 countries with data for 2026.
- Is government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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