Government Debt by Country

Government debt is money (or credit) owed by a central government.
As the government draws its income from much of the population, government debt is an indirect debt of the taxpayers. Government debt can be categorized as internal debt, owed to lenders within the country, and external debt, owed to foreign lenders. Governments usually borrow by issuing securities, government bonds and bills. Less creditworthy countries sometimes borrow directly from supranational institutions.

The info-graphic below details government debt for countries around the world as a percentage of the GDP or Gross Domestic Product.

The countries with the largest government debt are:

1. Japan at 226%
2. Greece at 130%
3. Italy at 118%
4. Belgium at 100%
5. Ireland at 94%
6. The United States at 93%
7. France at 84%
8. Portugal at 83%
9. Canada at 82%
10. Hungary at 78%
11. Britain at 77%
12. Germany at 75%