Japan vs South Korea: Gross debt, General government, Domestic currency (9/26/2025)
Japan
1,506.42 trillion
in 2031
South Korea
2,147.97 trillion
in 2031
Japan rank
3rd
South Korea rank
2nd
Gross debt, General government, Domestic currency (9/26/2025) over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 2,147.97 trillion against 1,506.42 trillion in Japan, a difference of 641.55 trillion.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.4 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 42 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 3rd and South Korea ranks 2nd of 26 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 3 and South Korea in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 409.54 trillion | 46.80 trillion | 362.74 trillion | Japan |
| 2000s | 773.28 trillion | 223.59 trillion | 549.69 trillion | Japan |
| 2010s | 1,068.27 trillion | 623.94 trillion | 444.33 trillion | Japan |
| 2020s | 1,362.08 trillion | 1,386.65 trillion | 24.57 trillion | South Korea |
| 2030s | 1,490.64 trillion | 2,083.26 trillion | 592.62 trillion | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher gross debt, general government, domestic currency, Japan or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 2,147.97 trillion against 1,506.42 trillion in Japan as of 2031.
- What is the difference in gross debt, general government, domestic currency between Japan and South Korea?
- 641.55 trillion, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2031.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for gross debt, general government, domestic currency?
- Japan ranks 3rd and South Korea ranks 2nd of 26 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund, published as Gross debt, General government, Domestic currency (9/26/2025). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The World Economic Outlook (WEO) database is created during the biannual WEO exercise, which begins in January and June of each year and results in the April and September/October WEO publication. Selected series from the publication are available in a database format.