Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) (% of GDP)

See how world countries compare to each other in terms of Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-). Follow the color coded map to visually see how Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) is distributed between world countries. The darker the color, the higher the value. You can filter which regions to display in the table. When filters are used the two ranks are displayed: the one within the current filter set and the global rank.

This entry records the difference between national government revenues and expenditures, expressed as a percent of GDP. A positive (+) number indicates that revenues exceeded expenditures (a budget surplus), while a negative (-) number indicates the reverse (a budget deficit). Normalizing the data, by dividing the budget balance by GDP, enables easy comparisons across countries and indicates whether a national government saves or borrows money. Countries with high budget deficits (relative to their GDPs) generally have more difficulty raising funds to finance expenditures, than those with lower deficits.