Global public debt 2010-2023, by development region

Published by
Jose Sanchez
,
Jun 23, 2025

Global public debt increased steadily since 2010. Debt levels were significantly higher in developed than in developing countries, with nearly

***
trillion U.S. dollars in the former. Global public debt in the United States alone stood at
**
trillion dollars. However, debt levels increased at a much faster pace in developing countries between 2010 and 2023, more than doubling. High debt levels and borrowing costs are a significant problem for countries already struggling with poor government finances. For instance, borrowing costs in Africa are almost
*
times higher than in the U.S.

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Global public debt in developed and developing countries from 2010 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

CharacteristicDeveloping countriesDeveloped countries
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Showing entries 1 to 13 (14 entries in total)
Statistic: Global public debt in developed and developing countries from 2010 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

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Release date

June 2024

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

2010 to 2023

Supplementary notes

Public debt is general domestic and external government debt. General government includes both central, state, and local governments as well as social security funds.

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Statistics on " Public debt worldwide "

Other statistics that may interest you Public debt worldwide

Overview

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Developed countries

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Developing countries

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Debt payments & debt costs

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Topics

Public debt worldwideNational debt of the U.S.Inflation worldwideGlobal economyPersonal debt in the U.S.
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