The fiscal balance is revenue minus spending. A negative balance is a deficit, funded by borrowing and added to public debt; a positive balance is a surplus. The table below ranks every country in the dataset for the latest year available.
In 2024, Norway recorded the highest figure at +12.7% of GDP and Scotland (Excluding Oil) the lowest at -15.6%.
| Rank | Country | Balance, % of GDP | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | +12.7 | 2024 |
| 2 | Ireland | +4.1 | 2024 |
| 3 | Denmark | +4.1 | 2024 |
| 4 | Costa Rica | +1.5 | 2024 |
| 5 | Greece | +1.3 | 2024 |
| 6 | Luxembourg | +0.9 | 2024 |
| 7 | Portugal | +0.6 | 2024 |
| 8 | Switzerland | +0.5 | 2024 |
| 9 | Netherlands | -0.7 | 2024 |
| 10 | Slovenia | -0.9 | 2024 |
| 11 | Estonia | -1.1 | 2024 |
| 12 | Lithuania | -1.3 | 2024 |
| 13 | South Korea | -1.5 | 2024 |
| 14 | Sweden | -1.6 | 2024 |
| 15 | Japan | -1.7 | 2024 |
| 16 | Latvia | -1.8 | 2024 |
| 17 | Czechia | -2.0 | 2024 |
| 18 | Canada | -2.1 | 2024 |
| 19 | Chile | -2.5 | 2024 |
| 20 | Germany | -2.7 | 2024 |
| 21 | Spain | -3.2 | 2024 |
| 22 | Italy | -3.4 | 2024 |
| 23 | New Zealand | -3.9 | 2024 |
| 24 | Australia | -4.0 | 2024 |
| 25 | Iceland | -4.2 | 2024 |
| 26 | Finland | -4.3 | 2024 |
| 27 | Belgium | -4.4 | 2024 |
| 28 | Austria | -4.6 | 2024 |
| 29 | Hungary | -5.1 | 2024 |
| 30 | Colombia | -5.3 | 2024 |
| 31 | Slovakia | -5.3 | 2024 |
| 32 | France | -5.8 | 2024 |
| 33 | United Kingdom | -6.0 | 2024 |
| 34 | Mexico | -6.3 | 2024 |
| 35 | Poland | -6.4 | 2024 |
| 36 | United States | -8.0 | 2024 |
| 37 | Israel | -8.1 | 2024 |
| 38 | Scotland | -13.8 | 2024 |
| 39 | Scotland (Per Capita Oil) | -15.4 | 2024 |
| 40 | Scotland (Excluding Oil) | -15.6 | 2024 |