Public Debt Database Maps 120 Years of Saving, Spending

The IMF staff has built a comprehensive and dynamic new database on public debt. The data covers 174 countries over a period of 120 years, and will help policymakers understand the past and chart a future course to sustainable economic growth.

The data shows how government debt has risen and fallen over the years as important events, such as wars and stock market crashes, affect a country’s decisions about when to save and when to spend.

It turns out the relationship between debt and economic growth has changed over...