Why it matters
Debt affects future budgets and borrowing conditions, but its meaning depends on interest costs, currency, maturity, and economic capacity.
People often affected
- Taxpayers
- Public services
- Borrowers
Government · observed
Central government debt
Central government debt as a percentage of GDP where a comparable observation is available.
No comparable observation
The selected World Bank series does not currently return a value for China. We have not substituted another series.
- 01Budget balances
- 02Interest costs
- 03Growth
- 04Inflation
- 05Exchange rates
These are common mechanisms, not claims about what caused the latest movement.
Limits of this data
Coverage is incomplete and central government definitions do not always capture the full public sector.
Revision status: The API does not expose a revision flag for these observations. Treat recent values as revisable.
Official source
World Bank: World Development Indicators
Series GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Snapshot retrieved Aug 5, 2026. Reporting frequency: annual. Seasonal adjustment: not applicable.