Government debt by instrument coverage — SDRs, currency and deposits in Japan
Japan: Government debt by instrument coverage — SDRs, currency and deposits was 205.21 Percentage of GDP in 2026. ▲ Rising
Government debt by instrument coverage — SDRs, currency and deposits in Japan, 2005–2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits in Japan is 205.21 Percentage of GDP, measured in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.3% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits in Japan peaked at 230.13 Percentage of GDP in 2021 and was at its lowest, 150.13 Percentage of GDP, in 2008.
That places Japan 1st out of 20 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Government debt by instrument coverage — SDRs, currency and deposits in Japan, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 151.59 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 2006 | 152.87 Percentage of GDP | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 150.3 Percentage of GDP | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 150.13 Percentage of GDP | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 158.25 Percentage of GDP | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 174.31 Percentage of GDP | +10.2% |
| 2011 | 178.68 Percentage of GDP | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 191.15 Percentage of GDP | +7.0% |
| 2013 | 198.07 Percentage of GDP | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 203.51 Percentage of GDP | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 202.02 Percentage of GDP | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 199.76 Percentage of GDP | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 203.12 Percentage of GDP | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 202.16 Percentage of GDP | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 206.7 Percentage of GDP | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 207.69 Percentage of GDP | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 230.13 Percentage of GDP | +10.8% |
| 2022 | 227.4 Percentage of GDP | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 227.35 Percentage of GDP | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 220.69 Percentage of GDP | -2.9% |
| 2025 | 212.31 Percentage of GDP | -3.8% |
| 2026 | 205.21 Percentage of GDP | -3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 152.63 Percentage of GDP | 150.13 Percentage of GDP | 158.25 Percentage of GDP | 5 |
| 2010s | 195.95 Percentage of GDP | 174.31 Percentage of GDP | 206.7 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 218.68 Percentage of GDP | 205.21 Percentage of GDP | 230.13 Percentage of GDP | 7 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 1 Poland 74.99 Percentage of GDP compare
- 2 Greece 157.57 Percentage of GDP compare
- 2 Slovenia 72.51 Percentage of GDP compare
- 3 France 125.68 Percentage of GDP compare
- 3 Latvia 58.33 Percentage of GDP compare
- 4 Netherlands 49.78 Percentage of GDP compare
- 4 United States of America 125.27 Percentage of GDP compare
More economy & growth data for Japan
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.03 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.4463 Percent per annum (2029)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 7.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 33.27 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 1.12 million current LCU per person (2024)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 0.9068 % change on previous year (2024)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2217 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 7,492 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate -4.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2781 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits in Japan?
- Government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits in Japan was 205.21 Percentage of GDP in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 230.13 Percentage of GDP in 2021.
- What is the lowest government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 150.13 Percentage of GDP in 2008.
- How does Japan rank for government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits?
- Japan ranks 1st out of 20 countries with data for 2026.
- Is government debt by instrument coverage — sdrs, currency and deposits rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Government debt by instrument coverage — SDRs, currency and deposits, debt securities, loans and other accounts payable. 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