India's public debt has reached 81.4% of its GDP. This places India's Debt-to-GDP at the 35th spot globally. A high public debt isn't necessarily harmful. Countries often use it to finance growth or manage downturns.
Countries with the Highest National Debt 2026
Advanced Economies Make Up Most of World's Debt
The top five countries alone—the United States, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and France—account for two-thirds of global government debt, together making up $74.8 trillion in debt. 🇺🇸 U.S.
Country Rankings (by total World Bank debt) The chart lists countries by how much they currently owe: Rank Country World Bank Debt (Approx.) 1 🇮🇳 India $24.4 billion.
There is no independent country that is completely debt-free. Having national debt is considered normal in modern economic systems. The country with the highest national debt is Japan. The United States is not a debt-free country.
The scale of internal and external debt is not only slowing down economic growth and development in India, but it is also creating a potential debt trap for the Indian economy.
Economies with the lowest government debt as a share of GDP 2025. In 2025, Liechtenstein was estimated to have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the world, at just 0.5 percent, with Brunei having the second-lowest at 2.3 percent.
We have slower income growth, so we have fewer resources with which to pay our debt. Paul Solman: That is fewer tax revenues, which would mean borrowing even more. Plus, lower growth means less demand from businesses to borrow money for investment, which also tends to lower rates.
About two-thirds of the national debt is held either by the government itself or by U.S. citizens.
The quantum of wealth owned by the two countries are as different as chalk and cheese – the US per capita GDP is a whopping 31 times higher than India's.
US dollar-denominated debt continued to be the largest component of India's external debt with a share of 45.9% at end December 2018, followed by the Indian rupee (24.8%), SDR (5.1%), yen (4.9%) and euro (3.1%).
For the past 10 years, Japan has been the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt. As of the latest Treasury data, Japan holds over $1.1 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities. Japan's motivation is driven by economic strategy. Treasuries' investments are safe and help Japan manage its own currency.
The very poorest of the world's poorest countries, South Sudan has been wracked by violence since its creation in 2011.
China is ranked 21st and has a public debt ratio of 96%, which is comparatively lower than that of other developed nations. Meanwhile, India's debt-to-GDP ratio of 80% places it 31st globally; the central government of India is aiming for a decline in the debt-to-GDP ratio to 50±1 per cent by March 31, 2031.
Eliminating the U.S. government's debt is a Herculean task that could take decades. In addition to obvious steps, such as hiking taxes and slashing spending, the government could take a number of other approaches, some of them unorthodox and even controversial. Below are some of these options.
Health Care Costs Number One Cause of Bankruptcy for American Families. The cost of health care is a major concern for nearly all Americans and there is no shortage of health care related news coverage recently. Understandably, there are lots of questions and forecasts about what might be about to happen.
There is no IRS forgiveness plan officially introduced by Trump in 2025. While some campaign proposals have discussed tax simplification or reduced rates, they do not include debt cancellation for individuals with unpaid taxes.
As the world's biggest gambling hub, Macao SAR has zero debt, bolstered by billions in gaming revenue and healthy financial reserves. Liechtenstein ranks in second, with virtually no debt and the only country in Europe ranking in the top 10.
The U.S. dollar would depreciate and the yuan would appreciate if China called in all its U.S. holdings, making Chinese goods more expensive.
National debt of India 2030
In 2024, the national debt of India amounted to around 3.16 trillion U.S. dollars. Projections show an upward trend, with a significant increase each year. National debt, also called government debt or public debt, is money owed by the federal government.
How much debt does the average person in the US owe?
Under the judiciary, personal loan defaults are considered and treated as civil matters. You can go to jail only when you commit fraud or contempt of court. Here are the legal implications of defaulting on personal loans: Formal Recovery Process: Lenders initially issue reminders and formal notices to repay.
10 Habits of Debt-Free People You Can Start Now