Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) in OECD members
OECD members: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) was -4.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in OECD members, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in OECD members is -4.7%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 70.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in OECD members peaked at 1.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, -9.9%, in 2020.
That places OECD members 19th out of 26 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) in OECD members, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | -0.6% | — |
| 1973 | -0.5% | -18.6% |
| 1974 | -0.3% | -28.6% |
| 1975 | -2.3% | +570.5% |
| 1976 | -2.5% | +7.8% |
| 1977 | -1.8% | -28.1% |
| 1978 | -1.9% | +7.9% |
| 1979 | -1.5% | -18.7% |
| 1980 | -1.9% | +23.1% |
| 1981 | -1.8% | -6.1% |
| 1982 | -3.0% | +64.8% |
| 1983 | -3.9% | +31.9% |
| 1984 | -3.4% | -13.3% |
| 1985 | -3.3% | -3.0% |
| 1986 | -3.7% | +14.1% |
| 1987 | -3.0% | -19.5% |
| 1988 | -2.4% | -19.2% |
| 1989 | -1.9% | -20.2% |
| 1990 | -2.4% | +21.5% |
| 1991 | -3.1% | +29.8% |
| 1992 | -3.6% | +17.0% |
| 1993 | -3.9% | +8.1% |
| 1994 | -3.1% | -18.8% |
| 1995 | -3.4% | +8.0% |
| 1996 | -2.3% | -33.3% |
| 1997 | -1.0% | -56.5% |
| 1998 | -0.3% | -71.5% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -200.2% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | +310.2% |
| 2001 | -0.0% | -103.2% |
| 2002 | -2.0% | +5384.5% |
| 2003 | -2.8% | +39.3% |
| 2004 | -2.5% | -9.3% |
| 2005 | -2.0% | -21.1% |
| 2006 | -1.2% | -41.5% |
| 2007 | -1.1% | -10.2% |
| 2008 | -2.9% | +175.2% |
| 2009 | -6.9% | +138.8% |
| 2010 | -6.4% | -7.9% |
| 2011 | -5.4% | -15.5% |
| 2012 | -4.7% | -11.7% |
| 2013 | -3.1% | -35.1% |
| 2014 | -2.7% | -10.8% |
| 2015 | -2.3% | -15.9% |
| 2016 | -2.4% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | -1.8% | -23.4% |
| 2018 | -2.3% | +29.3% |
| 2019 | -2.6% | +13.3% |
| 2020 | -9.9% | +275.1% |
| 2021 | -7.8% | -21.4% |
| 2022 | -3.3% | -58.1% |
| 2023 | -4.6% | +41.5% |
| 2024 | -4.7% | +1.1% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) in OECD members 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | -5384.5% | -0.0% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | -570.5% | -0.3% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | +310.2% | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| 2020 | -275.1% | -2.6% | -9.9% |
| 1999 | +200.2% | -0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2008 | -175.2% | -1.1% | -2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -1.4% | -2.5% | -0.3% | 8 |
| 1980s | -2.8% | -3.9% | -1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | -2.3% | -3.9% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.0% | -6.9% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | -3.4% | -6.4% | -1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | -6.1% | -9.9% | -3.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
More public sector data for OECD members
- Arms imports 13.96 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 8.5 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0002 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 26.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 11.87 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 1,238 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0253 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 12.54 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.73 trillion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 265.52 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in OECD members?
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in OECD members was -4.7% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) recorded in OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was -9.9% in 2020.
- How does OECD members rank for net lending (+) / net borrowing (-)?
- OECD members ranks 19th out of 26 groups with data for 2024.
- Is net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 70.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this OECD members data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad. 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.