| Field Listing :: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | 
| 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. | |
| Country Comparison to the World | 
Country  | 
    
    Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)(% of GDP) | 
|---|
| Afghanistan | -8.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Albania | -3.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Algeria | -4.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| American Samoa | -6.1% of GDP (2007) | 
| Andorra | -1.4% of GDP (2011) | 
| Angola | 6.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Anguilla | -5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Antigua and Barbuda | -0.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Argentina | -2.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Armenia | -1.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Aruba | -9.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Australia | -3.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Austria | -1.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Azerbaijan | 0.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Bahamas, The | -6.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Bahrain | -2.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Bangladesh | -4.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Barbados | -8.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Belarus | 0.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Belgium | -4.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Belize | 0% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Benin | -0.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Bermuda | -2.5% of GDP (FY11/12 est.) | 
| Bhutan | -1.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Bolivia | 1.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | -2.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Botswana | 0.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Brazil | 2.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| British Virgin Islands | 0% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Brunei | 13.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Bulgaria | -0.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Burkina Faso | -3.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Burma | -4.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Burundi | -3.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Cabo Verde | -12.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Cambodia | -2.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Cameroon | -3.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Canada | -3.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Cayman Islands | -2.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Central African Republic | -0.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Chad | -1.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Chile | 0.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| China | -1.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Colombia | 0.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Comoros | 1.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | -2.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Congo, Republic of the | 6.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Cook Islands | 1% of GDP (FY05/06) | 
| Costa Rica | -4.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Cote d'Ivoire | -3.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Croatia | -3.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Cuba | -3.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Curacao | -0.9% of GDP (2011 est.) | 
| Cyprus | -6.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Czech Republic | -4.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Denmark | -4.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Djibouti | -2.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Dominica | -12.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Dominican Republic | -6.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Ecuador | -1.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Egypt | -10.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| El Salvador | -3.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Equatorial Guinea | -0.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Eritrea | -12.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Estonia | -0.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Ethiopia | -2.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | -5% of GDP (FY09/10) | 
| Faroe Islands | -11.9% of GDP (2010 est.) | 
| Fiji | -1.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Finland | -2.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| France | -4.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| French Polynesia | 3.9% of GDP (1999) | 
| Gabon | 2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Gambia, The | -4.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Georgia | -3.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Germany | 0.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Ghana | -12.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Gibraltar | 2.1% of GDP (2008 est.) | 
| Greece | -10.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Greenland | 1.9% of GDP (2010) | 
| Grenada | -5.2% of GDP (2009 est.) | 
| Guam | -3% of GDP (FY10/11 est.) | 
| Guatemala | -2.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Guernsey | 1.2% of GDP (2005) | 
| Guinea | -3.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Guinea-Bissau | -3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Guyana | -5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Haiti | -6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Honduras | -6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Hong Kong | 3.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Hungary | 
      -2.1% of GDP 
       note: Hungary has been under the EU Excessive Deficit Procedure since it joined the EU in 2004; in March 2012 the EU elevated its Excessive Deficit Procedure against Hungary and proposed freezing 30% of the country's Cohesion Funds because 2011 deficit reductions were not achieved in a sustainable manner; in June 2012, the EU lifted the freeze, reognizing that steps had been taken to reduce the deficit; the latest EC forecasts project the Hungarian deficit to increase above 3% both in 2013 and in 2014 due to sluggish growth and the government's fiscal tightening (2012 est.)  | 
        
| Iceland | -3.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| India | -5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Indonesia | -2.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Iran | -2.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Iraq | 7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Ireland | -7.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Isle of Man | 0.5% of GDP (FY05/06 est.) | 
| Israel | -4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Italy | -2.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Jamaica | -4.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Japan | -10% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Jersey | -0.4% of GDP (2005) | 
| Jordan | -9.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Kazakhstan | -2.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Kenya | -5.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Kiribati | -29.9% of GDP (2010 est.) | 
| Korea, North | -0.4% of GDP (2007 est.) | 
| Korea, South | 1.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Kosovo | -5% of GDP (2011 est.) | 
| Kuwait | 31.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Kyrgyzstan | -6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Laos | -1.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Latvia | 0.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Lebanon | -9.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Lesotho | 5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Liberia | -2.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Libya | 27.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Liechtenstein | -1.6% of GDP (2011 est.) | 
| Lithuania | -3.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Luxembourg | -0.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Macau | 25.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Macedonia | -3.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Madagascar | -1.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Malawi | -7.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Malaysia | -4.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Maldives | -13.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Mali | -1.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Malta | -3.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Marshall Islands | 0.4% of GDP (FY09 est.) | 
| Mauritania | 2.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Mauritius | -1.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Mexico | -2.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Micronesia, Federated States of | 1.6% of GDP (FY10/11 est.) | 
| Moldova | -2.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Monaco | -1.3% of GDP (2011 est.) | 
| Mongolia | -8.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Montenegro | 2.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Morocco | -8.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Mozambique | -4.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Namibia | -2.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Nepal | -6.4% of GDP (FY11/12) | 
| Netherlands | -4.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| New Caledonia | NA% of GDP | 
| New Zealand | -3.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Nicaragua | -0.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Niger | -2.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Nigeria | -2.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Niue | -12.6% of GDP (FY04/05) | 
| Northern Mariana Islands | -7.9% of GDP (FY10/11 est.) | 
| Norway | 14% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Oman | -0.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Pakistan | -6.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Palau | -2.4% of GDP (2010 est.) | 
| Panama | -2.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Papua New Guinea | -1.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Paraguay | -1.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Peru | 2.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Philippines | -2.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Poland | -1.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Portugal | -6.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Puerto Rico | -3.1% of GDP (FY99/00) | 
| Qatar | 14.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Romania | -2.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Russia | -0.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Rwanda | -1.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Saint Lucia | -2.8% of GDP (2011 est.) | 
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 4.6% of GDP | 
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | -1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Samoa | -4.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| San Marino | -1.5% of GDP (2011) | 
| Sao Tome and Principe | -10.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Saudi Arabia | 13.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Senegal | -5.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Serbia | -7.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Seychelles | 2.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Sierra Leone | -5.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Singapore | 2.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Slovakia | -4.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Slovenia | -3.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Solomon Islands | 2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| South Africa | -4.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Spain | -10.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Sri Lanka | -6.5% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Sudan | -8.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Suriname | -2.4% of GDP (2010 est.) | 
| Svalbard | NA% of GDP | 
| Swaziland | 0.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Sweden | -0.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Switzerland | 0.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Syria | -11.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Taiwan | -2.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Tajikistan | 1.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Tanzania | -4.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Thailand | -4.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Timor-Leste | -1.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Togo | -3.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Tonga | 0% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Trinidad and Tobago | -1.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Tunisia | -2.7% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Turkey | -2.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Turkmenistan | 1.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Tuvalu | -3.8% of GDP (2006) | 
| Uganda | -2.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Ukraine | -4.4% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| United Arab Emirates | 7.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| United Kingdom | -8.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| United States | -6.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Uruguay | -2.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Uzbekistan | 0.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Vanuatu | -1.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Venezuela | -14.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Vietnam | -4.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| West Bank | -16.6% of GDP (2011 est.) | 
| World | -3.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Yemen | -7.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Zambia | -4.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | 
| Zimbabwe | NA% of GDP |