High income OECD countries Compared by Economy > Budget surplus > + or deficit > -
DEFINITION:
This entry records the difference between national government revenues and expenditures, expressed as a percent of GDP. A positive (+) number indicates that revenues exceeded expenditures (a budget surplus), while a negative (-) number indicates the reverse (a budget deficit). Normalizing the data, by dividing the budget balance by GDP, enables easy comparisons across countries and indicates whether a national government saves or borrows money. Countries with high budget deficits (relative to their GDPs) generally have more difficulty raising funds to finance expenditures, than those with lower deficits.
CONTENTS
| # | COUNTRY | AMOUNT | DATE | GRAPH | HISTORY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 14% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 2 | South Korea | 1.5% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 3 | Chile | 0.5% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| =4 | Switzerland | 0.1% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| =4 | Germany | 0.1% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 6 | Estonia | -0.3% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 7 | Sweden | -0.7% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 8 | Luxembourg | -0.8% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 9 | Austria | -1.4% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 10 | Poland | -1.9% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 11 | Finland | -2.3% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 12 | Italy | -2.9% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 13 | Slovenia | -3.2% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 14 | Canada | -3.3% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 15 | Australia | -3.4% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 16 | Iceland | -3.5% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 17 | New Zealand | -3.8% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 18 | Israel | -4% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| =19 | Netherlands | -4.1% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| =19 | Denmark | -4.1% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 21 | Belgium | -4.2% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 22 | Slovakia | -4.4% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 23 | Czech Republic | -4.5% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 24 | France | -4.9% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 25 | Portugal | -6.5% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 26 | United States | -6.8% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 27 | Ireland | -7.6% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 28 | United Kingdom | -8.2% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 29 | Japan | -10% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 30 | Greece | -10.2% of GDP | 2012 | ||
| 31 | Spain | -10.9% of GDP | 2012 |
Citation
Interesting observations about Economy > Budget surplus > + or deficit > -
- 98 of the top 189 countries by budget surplus > + or deficit > - are Christian.
- 2 of the top 4 countries by budget surplus > + or deficit > - are Tourist destination.
- Kuwait has ranked in the top 3 for budget surplus > + or deficit > - since 2010.
- Macau has ranked in the top 3 for budget surplus > + or deficit > - since 2010.
- Qatar has ranked in the top 4 for budget surplus > + or deficit > - since 2010.
- Brazil ranked first for budget surplus > + or deficit > - amongst Emerging markets in 2012.
- 21 of the bottom 37 countries by budget surplus > + or deficit > - are Heavily indebted.
- San Marino has ranked in the top 4 for budget surplus > + or deficit > - since 2009.
- 25 of the top 89 countries by budget surplus > + or deficit > - are Landlocked.
- Norway has ranked in the top 5 for budget surplus > + or deficit > - since 2010.
