Deficit, Percent of own spending (Central government) in United States

United States: Deficit, Percent of own spending (Central government) was -0.6264 in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
-0.6264
Change on year
down 136.9%
World rank
62nd
of 66 countries
All-time high
0.2074
in 2000
All-time low
-0.6264
in 2020
Years of data
32
1989–2020

Deficit, Percent of own spending in United States, 1989–2020

-0.6-0.4-0.2-00.21989200420201989: -0.2261990: -0.2891991: -0.3021992: -0.3141993: -0.2651994: -0.2111995: -0.141996: -0.0811997: 0.021998: 0.1041999: 0.1222000: 0.2072001: 0.0532002: -0.2092003: -0.3172004: -0.3022005: -0.2112006: -0.0932007: -0.1122008: -0.312009: -0.582010: -0.542011: -0.4312012: -0.3322013: -0.1362014: -0.1142015: -0.0632016: -0.1252017: -0.0252018: -0.2372019: -0.2642020: -0.626

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

United States recorded -0.6264 for deficit, percent of own spending in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 136.9% on the previous year and down 16.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, deficit, percent of own spending in United States peaked at 0.2074 in 2000 and was at its lowest, -0.6264, in 2020.

United States ranks 62nd of 66 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Deficit, Percent of own spending (Central government) in United States, year by year

Annual values for Deficit, Percent of own spending (Central government) in United States, 1989 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1989 -0.2261 —
1990 -0.2893 +28.0%
1991 -0.3021 +4.4%
1992 -0.3137 +3.8%
1993 -0.265 -15.5%
1994 -0.2111 -20.3%
1995 -0.1404 -33.5%
1996 -0.0814 -42.0%
1997 0.02 -124.5%
1998 0.1036 +418.8%
1999 0.122 +17.7%
2000 0.2074 +70.0%
2001 0.0528 -74.6%
2002 -0.2088 -495.6%
2003 -0.3174 +52.0%
2004 -0.3019 -4.9%
2005 -0.2115 -29.9%
2006 -0.0926 -56.2%
2007 -0.1116 +20.5%
2008 -0.3101 +177.9%
2009 -0.5796 +86.9%
2010 -0.5402 -6.8%
2011 -0.4309 -20.2%
2012 -0.3325 -22.8%
2013 -0.136 -59.1%
2014 -0.1137 -16.4%
2015 -0.0627 -44.9%
2016 -0.1245 +98.7%
2017 -0.0253 -79.6%
2018 -0.2372 +836.0%
2019 -0.2644 +11.5%
2020 -0.6264 +136.9%

United States compared with similar countries

  • United States's -0.6264 is below the median for high income countries, which is -0.2946, 2.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Deficit, Percent of own spending (Central government) in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2018 -836.0% -0.0253 -0.2372
2002 -495.6% 0.0528 -0.2088
1998 +418.8% 0.02 0.1036

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s -0.2261 -0.2261 -0.2261 1
1990s -0.1357 -0.3137 0.122 10
2000s -0.1873 -0.5796 0.2074 10
2010s -0.2268 -0.5402 -0.0253 10
2020s -0.6264 -0.6264 -0.6264 1

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 59 Indonesia -0.54 compare
  2. 60 Canada -0.5401 compare
  3. 61 Kazakhstan -0.5697 compare
  4. 63 Peru -0.646 compare
  5. 64 Belgium -0.8041 compare
  6. 65 Spain -0.8351 compare

See the full ranking of 66 places →

More public sector data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is deficit, percent of own spending in United States?
Deficit, percent of own spending in United States was -0.6264 in 2020, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest deficit, percent of own spending recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 0.2074 in 2000.
What is the lowest deficit, percent of own spending recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was -0.6264 in 2020.
How does United States rank for deficit, percent of own spending?
United States ranks 62nd out of 66 countries with data for 2020.
Is deficit, percent of own spending rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Deficit, Percent of own spending (Central government). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Deficit, Percent of own spending in United States. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 09 November 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/deficit-percent-of-own-spending-central-government/united-states/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/deficit-percent-of-own-spending-central-government/united-states/">Deficit, Percent of own spending in United States</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Deficit, Percent of own spending (Central government)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
66 places, 1,155 data points, 1989–2020
Last refreshed

The Fiscal Decentralization dataset includes fiscal decentralization indicators for a sample of IMF member countries. The following indicators are included in the dataset: Revenue and Expenditure Decentralization Shares; Transfer dependency and Vertical Fiscal Imbalances; Deficit and Debt; Allocation of expenditure (economic classification); Allocation of expenditure (functional classification); Allocation of non-Tax Revenues; and Allocation of Taxes.