Debt-to-GDP ratio
Government debt set against a year of economic output — a measure of what the debt will be serviced out of.
How to read the number
The denominator does as much work as the numerator: inflation and growth shrink the ratio without a single unit of debt being repaid.
When the metric lies
Comparing countries on this ratio directly is misleading: one owes long, in its own currency, to its own citizens; another owes short and abroad.
Also known as: debt ratio