<p>Data for the <a href="https://www.longtermtrends.net/us-debt-to-gdp/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">United States</a> 1789 - 2019.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/DEBT1@DEBT/GBR/FRA/USA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">IMF</a> has the Historical Public Debt Database. It has data for almost every country with varying starting dates depending on country.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/dhCBv.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/dhCBv.png" alt="IMF data" /></a></p>
<p>From my brief analysis France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy all appear to have exceeded 100% debt to GDP ratios before 1944.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/DHYLe.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/DHYLe.png" alt="ex" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-11T14:58:00.450Z
2020-07-11T14:58:00.450Z
Scc33
<p><a href="https://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/british-debt-history/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This old blog post</a> has an interesting plot that demonstrates that the U.K.'s current debt-to-GDP ratio is significantly below its very-long-term (180-year) average.</p>

<p>Is there a plot anywhere that compares the historical debt-to-GDP ratio over long times between countries? Ideally, I would like a single plot that (a) has multiple time series for many different countries (using comparable methodology), to make it easy to compare across countries, and (b) goes back before World War II, in order to show extremely long-term trends. However, a bunch of different separately plotted long-term time series would also be interesting. But a quick search doesn't turn up much that goes back before around 1970.</p>

<p>More broadly, was it common for debt-to-GDP ratios to exceed 1 year before and during the Bretton Woods system? Or was the U.K. unusual in this regard?</p>

<p>Or is it just the case that we don't have any reliable numbers for debt-to-GDP ratios from before the rise of modern econometrics?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-27T08:24:01.363Z
It’s hard to get data on debt to GDP prior WWII because at the time people did not tracked GDP as a statistics so all we have are estimates of what GDP probably was
1muflon1
<data-request><government-debt><history><economic-history>
Is there a reference that plots different countries' debt-to-GDP ratios over (long) times?
tparker
# Is there a reference that plots different countries' debt-to-GDP ratios over (long) times?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-02-27)

[This old blog post](https://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/british-debt-history/) has an interesting plot that demonstrates that the U.K.'s current debt-to-GDP ratio is significantly below its very-long-term (180-year) average.

Is there a plot anywhere that compares the historical debt-to-GDP ratio over long times between countries? Ideally, I would like a single plot that (a) has multiple time series for many different countries (using comparable methodology), to make it easy to compare across countries, and (b) goes back before World War II, in order to show extremely long-term trends. However, a bunch of different separately plotted long-term time series would also be interesting. But a quick search doesn't turn up much that goes back before around 1970.

More broadly, was it common for debt-to-GDP ratios to exceed 1 year before and during the Bretton Woods system? Or was the U.K. unusual in this regard?

Or is it just the case that we don't have any reliable numbers for debt-to-GDP ratios from before the rise of modern econometrics?

**Tags:** data-request, government-debt, history, economic-history

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It’s hard to get data on debt to GDP prior WWII because at the time people did not tracked GDP as a statistics so all we have are estimates of what GDP probably was  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-07-11. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Data for the [United States](https://www.longtermtrends.net/us-debt-to-gdp/) 1789 - 2019.

The [IMF](https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/DEBT1@DEBT/GBR/FRA/USA) has the Historical Public Debt Database. It has data for almost every country with varying starting dates depending on country.

[![IMF data](https://i.sstatic.net/dhCBv.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/dhCBv.png)

From my brief analysis France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy all appear to have exceeded 100% debt to GDP ratios before 1944.

[![ex](https://i.sstatic.net/DHYLe.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/DHYLe.png)


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