Gross debt, Percent of own revenue (Central government) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Gross debt, Percent of own revenue (Central government) was 3.82 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Gross debt, Percent of own revenue in United Kingdom, 1995–2020
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
In 2020, gross debt, percent of own revenue in United Kingdom stood at 3.82. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 26.9% on the previous year and up 100.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross debt, percent of own revenue in United Kingdom peaked at 3.82 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.9128, in 2001.
United Kingdom ranks 7th of 23 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Gross debt, Percent of own revenue (Central government) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1.16 | — |
| 1996 | 1.15 | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 1.18 | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 1.19 | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 1.09 | -8.7% |
| 2000 | 1.01 | -7.8% |
| 2001 | 0.9128 | -9.2% |
| 2002 | 0.9756 | +6.9% |
| 2003 | 0.9979 | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 1.07 | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 1.11 | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 1.11 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 1.13 | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 1.36 | +20.4% |
| 2009 | 1.85 | +36.2% |
| 2010 | 1.91 | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 2.59 | +35.8% |
| 2012 | 2.71 | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 2.55 | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 2.93 | +14.7% |
| 2015 | 2.87 | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 3.11 | +8.4% |
| 2017 | 2.98 | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 2.9 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 3.01 | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 3.82 | +26.9% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 3.82 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.86, 1.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 3.82 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.62, 1.5× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.15 | 1.09 | 1.19 | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.15 | 0.9128 | 1.85 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.76 | 1.91 | 3.11 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.82 | 3.82 | 3.82 | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More external debt data for United Kingdom
- Other investment, Debt instruments 7.66 trillion US dollar (2025)
- Other investment, Debt instruments (Assets, Positions, US dollar) 13.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Other investment, Debt instruments, Deposit taking corporations 1.46 trillion US dollar (1998)
- Other investment, Debt instruments (Assets, Positions, US dollar) 110,234 US dollar per person (2025)
- Other investment, Debt instruments (Assets, Positions, US dollar) 1.91 US dollar per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), General government, Percent of -2.24 (2030)
- Other investment, Debt instruments, Deposit taking corporations 6.59 % change on previous year (1998)
- Primary net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), General government 0.6703 (2030)
- Other investment, Debt instruments, Deposit taking corporations 24,920 US dollar per person (1998)
- Other investment, Debt instruments, Deposit taking corporations 0.8776 US dollar per US$ of GDP (1998)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross debt, percent of own revenue in United Kingdom?
- Gross debt, percent of own revenue in United Kingdom was 3.82 in 2020, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest gross debt, percent of own revenue recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 3.82 in 2020.
- What is the lowest gross debt, percent of own revenue recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9128 in 2001.
- How does United Kingdom rank for gross debt, percent of own revenue?
- United Kingdom ranks 7th out of 23 countries with data for 2020.
- Is gross debt, percent of own revenue rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Gross debt, Percent of own revenue (Central government). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The Fiscal Decentralization dataset includes fiscal decentralization indicators for a sample of IMF member countries. The following indicators are included in the dataset: Revenue and Expenditure Decentralization Shares; Transfer dependency and Vertical Fiscal Imbalances; Deficit and Debt; Allocation of expenditure (economic classification); Allocation of expenditure (functional classification); Allocation of non-Tax Revenues; and Allocation of Taxes.