The World’s $111 Trillion in Government Debt, in One Giant Chart
November 13, 2025
By Dorothy Neufeld
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Key Takeaways- Gross public debt stands at $111 trillion globally in 2025, rising by $8.3 trillion since 2024.
- Together, the U.S. and China hold 51.8% of the world’s government debt.
While global public debt is lower than pandemic highs in real terms, it remains stubbornly elevated at $111 trillion.
This graphic shows world debt by country in 2025, based on data from the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook.
A Closer Look at World Debt by Country
Below, we break down government debt around the world in 2025:
Country
Share of Global Debt
2025
Value of Debt
(Billions USD)
General Government Gross Debt
(Percent of GDP)
World
100.0%
$110,955.6
94.7%
|
| ???? U.S. | 34.5% | $38,269.7 | 125.0% | | ???? China | 16.8% | $18,680.8 | 96.3% | | ???? Japan | 8.9% | $9,826.5 | 229.6% | | ???? UK | 3.7% | $4,093.4 | 103.4% | | ???? France | 3.5% | $3,916.2 | 116.5% | | ???? Italy | 3.1% | $3,479.8 | 136.8% | | ???? India | 3.0% | $3,357.9 | 81.4% | | ???? Germany | 2.9% | $3,228.7 | 64.4% | | ???? Canada | 2.3% | $2,601.0 | 113.9% | | ???? Brazil | 1.9% | $2,062.8 | 91.4% | |
America’s debt burden exceeds $38 trillion in 2025, standing at 125% of GDP.
Over the past five years, net interest payments on the national debt have nearly tripled. They are projected to double again by 2035 to reach $1.8 trillion per year.
With $18.7 trillion in debt, China ranks in second. In 2025, debt expanded by almost $2.2 trillion, driven by government stimulus and weaker land revenues given a struggling property market sector.
As we can see, Japan follows next with a $9.8 trillion debt pile, equal to 230% of GDP. Even though debt remains sky-high, the country’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is proposing $92.2 billion in stimulus spending and subsidies.
The UK and France round out the top largest debt burdens, both hovering near $4 trillion. France, in particular, has experienced significant political instability amid contentious budget cut proposals, cycling through five prime ministers over the past two years. |
