🇯🇵 Japan National Debt Clock
Live tracker for Japan government debt. The national debt currently stands at
approximately $9.01 trillion, falling by $7K per second in US-dollar terms while rising in JPY based on IMF fiscal deficit projections. Debt-to-GDP: 207%. Per-citizen share: $72,683.
Debt is rising in yen (about ¥1,371tn to ¥1,385tn across 2026) but falling in US dollars, because the yen weakens faster than the debt grows. Switch the counter to JPY to see the underlying trend.
Japan's Debt Trajectory (2015–2026)
Japan's ratio has declined from its peak of 262% (2021) to roughly 207% today.
About Japan's National Debt
Japan has the highest debt-to-GDP ratio of any major developed economy — the legacy of decades of fiscal stimulus aimed at reviving growth after its 1990s asset-bubble collapse, layered on top of the costs of one of the world's oldest populations. Crucially, the great majority of Japanese government bonds are held domestically and the Bank of Japan owns a large share, which, alongside years of near-zero interest rates, has kept the debt sustainable despite its size.
Japan's debt-to-GDP ratio of 207% is in the critical range, well above IMF concern thresholds, where debt-service costs consume a large share of revenue and crowd out public services and investment. By total government debt, Japan ranks 3rd of the 137 governments tracked here.
Japan's debt is rising in JPY, but the figure above is falling by roughly $7K per second because the JPY is weakening against the dollar faster than the debt is growing. Switch the counter to JPY to see the underlying trend. This is an exchange-rate effect, not repayment. Each of Japan's 124 million citizens carries an individual share of approximately $72,683. That is above the world average of roughly $12,600 in government debt per person.
Figures are computed by Global Debt Clock using linear extrapolation from IMF general government gross debt baselines (Fiscal Monitor / WEO April 2026) and national treasury data. Actual debt changes through discrete bond issuances — these counters illustrate the approximate scale and pace of sovereign borrowing.
Japan National Debt — Frequently Asked Questions
What is Japan's national debt right now?
Japan's national debt is approximately $9.01 trillion as of September 12, 2026, falling by $7K per second in US-dollar terms while rising in JPY. Its debt-to-GDP ratio is 207% and each citizen's share is about $72,683.
How fast is Japan's debt growing?
Japan's debt is growing in JPY, but its US-dollar figure is falling by about $7K per second because the JPY is weakening against the dollar. That is a currency-translation effect, not debt repayment.
What is Japan's debt per capita?
Each of Japan's 124 million citizens carries a notional share of approximately $72,683 of the national debt.
What is Japan's debt-to-GDP ratio?
Japan's debt-to-GDP ratio is 207%. This sits above the IMF's 90% threshold associated with potential growth drag.
Why is Japan's government debt at this level?
Japan has the highest debt-to-GDP ratio of any major developed economy — the legacy of decades of fiscal stimulus aimed at reviving growth after its 1990s asset-bubble collapse, layered on top of the costs of one of the world's oldest populations. Crucially, the great majority of Japanese government bonds are held domestically and the Bank of Japan owns a large share, which, alongside years of near-zero interest rates, has kept the debt sustainable despite its size.
Compare Japan vs another country
Live side-by-side debt comparisons — shareable cards for journalists and social.
Further reading
Other Asia-Pacific countries
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Data & Citation
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook · World Bank International Debt Statistics · baseline anchored .
Methodology: debt = 9,159,725,790,823 + -6676 × seconds_since(2026-01-01)
Machine-readable data: /api/debt?c=jp (live JSON) · /data/debt.json (full dataset)
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