Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP in Canada

Canada: Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP was 9.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
9.3%
Change on year
up 21.4%
World rank
57th
of 116 countries
All-time high
15.9%
in 1998
All-time low
5.1%
in 2008
Years of data
41
1980–2020

Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP in Canada, 1980–2020

57.51012.5151980200020201980: 5.2 %1981: 5.6 %1982: 6.8 %1983: 6.8 %1984: 7 %1985: 7.5 %1986: 9.4 %1987: 8.8 %1988: 7.6 %1989: 6.6 %1990: 7 %1991: 8.1 %1992: 9.4 %1993: 12.3 %1994: 14.8 %1995: 15.6 %1996: 15 %1997: 14 %1998: 15.9 %1999: 14.5 %2000: 11.6 %2001: 11.3 %2002: 11.4 %2003: 9.9 %2004: 8.6 %2005: 7.5 %2006: 6.6 %2007: 5.9 %2008: 5.1 %2009: 7.2 %2010: 7.2 %2011: 6.8 %2012: 7.1 %2013: 6.8 %2014: 6.9 %2015: 7.4 %2016: 7.3 %2017: 7.9 %2018: 7.5 %2019: 7.6 %2020: 9.3 %

Source: Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in Canada stood at 9.3%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.4% on the previous year and up 29.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in Canada peaked at 15.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 2008.

Canada ranks 57th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.

Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP in Canada, year by year

Annual values for Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP (%) in Canada, 1980 to 2020.
Year % Change
1980 5.2%
1981 5.6% +7.9%
1982 6.8% +20.7%
1983 6.8% +0.2%
1984 7.0% +2.6%
1985 7.5% +8.3%
1986 9.4% +24.8%
1987 8.8% -6.3%
1988 7.6% -13.6%
1989 6.6% -12.9%
1990 7.0% +5.5%
1991 8.1% +16.0%
1992 9.4% +15.8%
1993 12.3% +30.6%
1994 14.8% +20.8%
1995 15.6% +5.5%
1996 15.0% -3.8%
1997 14.0% -7.1%
1998 15.9% +13.7%
1999 14.5% -8.7%
2000 11.6% -19.7%
2001 11.3% -3.2%
2002 11.4% +0.9%
2003 9.9% -12.8%
2004 8.6% -12.9%
2005 7.5% -13.6%
2006 6.6% -11.8%
2007 5.9% -10.9%
2008 5.1% -13.4%
2009 7.2% +41.6%
2010 7.2% -0.0%
2011 6.8% -5.0%
2012 7.1% +3.8%
2013 6.8% -3.4%
2014 6.9% +0.9%
2015 7.4% +7.4%
2016 7.3% -1.1%
2017 7.9% +7.8%
2018 7.5% -4.9%
2019 7.6% +1.7%
2020 9.3% +21.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.1% 5.2% 9.4% 10
1990s 12.7% 7.0% 15.9% 10
2000s 8.5% 5.1% 11.6% 10
2010s 7.3% 6.8% 7.9% 10
2020s 9.3% 9.3% 9.3% 1

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 54 Honduras 10.1% compare
  2. 55 Tunisia 9.8% compare
  3. 56 Costa Rica 9.4% compare
  4. 58 Poland 9.1% compare
  5. 59 Chile 9.1% compare
  6. 60 Kazakhstan 8.4% compare

See the full ranking of 116 places →

More financial sector data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in Canada?
Outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in Canada was 9.3% in 2020, according to Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
What is the highest outstanding international public debt securities to gdp recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 15.9% in 1998.
What is the lowest outstanding international public debt securities to gdp recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 2008.
How does Canada rank for outstanding international public debt securities to gdp?
Canada ranks 57th out of 116 countries with data for 2020.
Is outstanding international public debt securities to gdp rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from Bank for International Settlements (BIS), published as part of Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP in Canada. Statizoid, drawing on Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/stat/outstanding-international-public-debt-securities-to-gdp-percent/canada/

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About this data

Indicator
Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
116 places, 2,874 data points, 1980–2020
Last refreshed

Amount of public international debt securities (amounts outstanding), as a share of GDP. It covers long-term bonds and notes and money market instruments placed on international markets. Table 12D (international debt amount): governments / GDP. End of year data (i.e. December data) are considered for debt securities. The figures are deflated using the following methodology: {(0.5)*[Ft/P_et + Ft-1/P_et-1]}/[GDPt/P_at] where F is the level international public debt, P_e is end-of period CPI, and P_a is average annual CPI. GDP is from World Development Indicators. End-of period CPI is taken from IFS line 64M..ZF month of December (or if not available Q4). Average annual CPI is constructed from the monthly CPI figure taken from IFS line 64..ZF.