Small states: Claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Small states' claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) fell 0.77 percentage points on 2023 (from 10.78% to 10.01%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2023), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.98 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.59 percentage points in 1971 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.53 percentage points in 1974. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.63 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 75% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Claims on central government include loans to central government institutions net of deposits. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 45 values

Claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — -8.32% (2020)
• Algeria — 42.42% (2025)
• Bahrain — 16.44% (2015)
• Djibouti — 6.23% (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 48.18% (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 8.16% (2016)
• Iraq — 7.17% (2024)
• Israel — 13.18% (2025)
• Jordan — 27.03% (2025)
• Kuwait — -16.91% (2025)

More financial sector data for Small states

• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 2.71% (2025)
• Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 2.25% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 51.33% (2024)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 52.51% (2024)
• Broad money (% of GDP) — 70.95% (2019)
• Stocks traded, turnover ratio of domestic shares (%) — 1.83% (2024)
• Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) — 6.05% (2025)
• Bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) — 19.71% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Small states's claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP)?

10.01% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 10.97 percentage points from -0.96% in 1960. The highest value was 15.36% in 1988 and the lowest -0.96% in 1960.

Is the latest change in claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) unusual for Small states?

In 2024, Small states' claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) fell 0.77 percentage points on 2023 (from 10.78% to 10.01%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2023), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.98 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FS.AST.CGOV.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators Database, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.