Top 20 Countries With The Biggest Amount Of Debt.

External Debt as a percentage of GDP.

1. Ireland: 1,239%

Debt Per Person: $478,087

Total Debt = $2.26 trillion

2. United Kingdom: 451.4%

Debt Per Person: $161,110

Total Debt = $10.157 trillion

3. Switzerland: 391.3%

Debt Per Person: $174,022

Total Debt = $1.332 trillion

 4. Netherlands: 367%

Debt Per Person: $154,820

Total Debt = $2.590 trillion

5. Belgium: 353.7%

Debt Per Person: $139,613

Total Debt = $1.457 trillion

6. Denmark: 283.2%

Debt Per Person: $106,680

Total Debt = $591.4 billion

7. Hong Kong: 265.7%

Debt Per Person: $131,380

Total Debt = $939.83 billion

8. Sweden: 262.3%

Debt Per Person: $109,318

Total Debt = $995.2 trillion

9. France: 254.4%

Debt Per Person: $85,824

Total Debt = $5.632 trillion

10. Norway: 246.9%

Debt Per Person: $138,783

Total Debt = $653.29 billion

11. Finland: 244.8%

Debt Per Person: $90,984

Total Debt = $478.84 billion

12. Austria: 241.3%

Debt Per Person: $103,160

Total Debt = $847.95 billion

13. Portugal: 207.3%

Debt Per Person: $47,483

Total Debt = $511.94 billion

14. Germany: 183.9%

Debt Per Person: $69,788

Total Debt = $5.674 trillion

15. Greece: 178.9%

Debt Per Person: $50,792

Total Debt = $546.92 billion

16. Spain: 169.5%

Debt Per Person: $50,868

Total Debt = $2.392 trillion

17. Australia: 139.9%

Debt Per Person: $58,322

Total Debt = $1.283 trillion

18. Italy: 136.6%

Debt Per Person: $40,724

Total Debt = $2.494 trillion

19. Hungary: 110.3%

Debt Per Person: $21,706

Total Debt = $216.16 billion

20. United States: 99.46%

Debt Per Person: $47,664

Total Debt =  $14.959 trillion

This report takes a look at the world’s top 20 largest economies that have the highest external debt-to-GDP ratio, calculated using the most recent numbers (Q3 2011) from the World Bank expressed in percentages.

External debt is a measure of a total debt in a country that is owed to creditors outside that country; foreign liabilities, capital plus interest that the government, institutions and people within a nation’s borders must eventually pay. In short, this number extends beyond simply government debt, but also debt owed by corporations and individuals.

  

Source: External debt information from The World Bank, GDP information from the CIA World Factbook.