Do you know which countries hold the highest amounts of public debt worldwide in 2024? The debt-to-GDP ratio is the metric comparing a country's public debt to its gross domestic product (GDP). By comparing what a country owes with what it produces, the debt-to-GDP ratio shows the ability of a country to pay back its debts. Countries with similar debt-to-GDP ratios are ranked based on their GDP PPP. GDP PPP (purchasing power parity) adjusts the economic output of a country by taking into account differences in the cost of living and purchasing power.
Intrigued? To discover which countries have the most debt—calculated using the debt-to-GDP ratio data from the International Monetary Fund’s General Government Gross debt-to-GDP database—click through this gallery.