The International Monetary Fund (IMF) shared on Wednesday in its latest report that it expects the global public debt to grow by 2.8 percentage points in 2025, "more than twice the estimates for 2024." This would push debt levels to 95% of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the IMF.
"This upward trend is likely to continue, with public debt nearing 100% of GDP by the end of the decade, surpassing pandemic levels," the United Nations financial agency stated, adding that the projections took into consideration tariff announcements made from February 1 to April 4.
Nonetheless, the IMF said that given the uncertainty surrounding trade policies, "debt levels could rise even further." The United States budget deficit is anticipated to fall to 6.5% of GDP this year, and to 5.5% in 2026, which is less than 7.3% registered in 2024.
