Government debt
Japan
Japan. General government gross debt. Put borrowing in the context of the economy and explore how it has changed over time.
What the figures show
History / IMF estimatesJapan: IMF data and estimates put government debt at 204.8% of GDP in 2025. The derived debt amount is US$ 9,119.9 billion.
- The debt-to-GDP ratio is 8.8 percentage points below its 2024 level.
- This is above the median of 52.85% of GDP across 192 countries with data for the selected year.
- Over 2015–2025, the debt-to-GDP ratio increases by 4.7 percentage points.
The median is not weighted by economic size. A change in the debt-to-GDP ratio does not necessarily imply the same change in the debt amount. About the data ↗
Government debt over time
Debt as % of GDP. Dashed lines: current-year estimate/projection and future projections.
Chart data table
| Year | Japan (%) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 188.9 | IMF projection |
| 2030 | 190.1 | IMF projection |
| 2029 | 191.5 | IMF projection |
| 2028 | 193.8 | IMF projection |
| 2027 | 196.4 | IMF projection |
| 2026 | 199.4 | IMF estimate / projection |
| 2025 | 204.8 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2024 | 213.6 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2023 | 220.1 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2022 | 228.0 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2021 | 222.6 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2020 | 228.8 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2019 | 206.3 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2018 | 203.7 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2017 | 203.1 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2016 | 202.1 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2015 | 200.1 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2014 | 203.6 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2013 | 201.2 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2012 | 197.1 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2011 | 190.6 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2010 | 178.6 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2009 | 172.9 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2008 | 153.6 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2007 | 150.4 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2006 | 152.1 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2005 | 153.4 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2004 | 148.8 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2003 | 140.2 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2002 | 134.6 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2001 | 126.8 | History / IMF estimates |
| 2000 | 118.5 | History / IMF estimates |
The DataMapper API does not provide the actual/estimate cutoff for each country and series. Past years are therefore labelled history/IMF estimates, the current year estimate/projection, and later years projections. Historical values can be revised. There is no simulated real-time debt counter.
Source: IMF WEO · World Economic Outlook (October 2026) · Retrieved 2026-11-01. About the data