[koheripbal]

The real take here is 'it depends'. The important number is the debt-to-GDP ratio for each country, and which countries we're talking about.

The biggest debt growth has been with China that now has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 255%. Does that number spell doom for China? Not really. It's high, but China can handle it. If it continues to grow in an uncontrolled fashion, it might be a different story.

So in each case, each country is different story, and you have to look at them individually.

[Aperocky]

The numbers are thrown around with nobody really understanding what they mean. China have a collective debt to GDP ratio of 255%, which means all persons, corporations, local government, and central government have a debt that collectively sum up to 2.5 times the GDP. The Central government itself have debt amounting to 47.6% of GDP.

Meanwhile, US federal government have debt approaching 100% of American GDP, and guess what? Private people and corporations in US hold more debt, I have yet to find a comprehensive collective debt to economy ratio for the US, and I would very much appreciate that number since we can then compare apple to apple.

Also, honorary mention to Japan, whose public government debt exceeded 200% of their economy.

[QuesnayJr]

Wikipedia claims close to 300%: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_position_of_the_Unit...

[Aperocky]

> The financial position of the United States includes assets of at least $269.6 trillion (1576% of GDP) and debts of $145.8 trillion (852% of GDP)

From the first paragraph.

[QuesnayJr]

It says 279% in the second paragraph. (And in the third paragraph it says 350%.)

[neffy]

I would beg to differ. China introduced loan securitization back in 2005 - and so there´s a quietly ticking time bomb there, similar to 2008´s US crash, that will eventually go off.