Skip to content

Nauru's economy ranking: GDP & GDP per capita, debt

Updated on by Georank team

Nauru ranked 195/197 by economy size with a GDP of $160M and 75/197 by GDP per capita at $13,422. Nauru has $28.2M in government debt, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 15.2%.

In 2025, Nauru made up 0.0001% of the world's economy, compared to 0.0006% in 1970.

The chart below shows GDP in nominal terms, GDP adjusted for inflation (in constant dollars), and a bar chart of year-over-year inflation-adjusted growth.

GDP, current $
GDP, constant 2015 $
GDP growth
Year GDP GDP growth
Current $ Constant $
1970 $17,570,366 $265,597,277 -
1971 $19,009,433 $273,295,314 8.19%
1972 $21,734,269 $281,216,471 14.3%
1973 $26,529,817 $289,367,215 22.1%
1974 $35,994,511 $297,754,198 35.7%
1975 $40,106,776 $306,384,268 11.4%
1976 $40,287,427 $297,754,198 0.45%
1977 $40,444,702 $289,367,215 0.39%
1978 $41,754,147 $281,216,471 3.24%
1979 $44,431,330 $273,295,314 6.41%
1980 $46,947,124 $265,597,277 5.66%
1981 $51,689,637 $258,116,073 10.1%
1982 $52,877,742 $250,845,596 2.3%
1983 $48,439,093 $243,779,910 -8.39%
1984 $47,363,231 $236,913,245 -2.22%
1985 $41,548,741 $230,239,999 -12.3%
1986 $39,939,391 $223,754,720 -3.87%
1987 $40,118,410 $217,452,114 0.45%
1988 $45,931,134 $211,327,039 14.5%
1989 $53,736,786 $205,374,490 17%
1990 $55,572,376 $199,589,610 3.42%
1991 $52,533,789 $161,680,011 -5.47%
1992 $51,133,123 $135,390,360 -2.67%
1993 $43,542,088 $113,568,991 -14.8%
1994 $39,742,511 $109,178,266 -8.73%
1995 $39,969,706 $100,527,536 0.57%
1996 $37,458,801 $88,605,472 -6.28%
1997 $37,331,507 $80,672,081 -0.34%
1998 $29,664,451 $71,162,476 -20.5%
1999 $27,328,613 $66,488,375 -7.87%
2000 $26,930,980 $61,929,804 -1.46%
2001 $22,613,288 $57,742,675 -16%
2002 $21,017,424 $51,984,931 -7.06%
2003 $24,778,160 $52,132,910 17.9%
2004 $30,587,566 $49,883,465 23.4%
2005 $30,282,840 $49,706,055 -1%
2006 $29,183,627 $53,845,954 -3.63%
2007 $23,068,623 $41,900,065 -21%
2008 $37,184,925 $50,439,678 61.2%
2009 $44,024,970 $47,588,861 18.4%
2010 $47,442,299 $47,512,730 7.76%
2011 $65,444,174 $54,352,013 37.9%
2012 $100,794,925 $68,091,833 54%
2013 $94,385,015 $70,575,646 -6.36%
2014 $98,752,257 $82,166,522 4.63%
2015 $84,383,389 $84,383,389 -14.6%
2016 $97,276,023 $88,065,239 15.3%
2017 $108,862,279 $82,771,435 11.9%
2018 $130,937,590 $81,762,350 20.3%
2019 $124,871,111 $88,701,305 -4.63%
2020 $124,530,027 $90,459,205 -0.27%
2021 $175,513,985 $96,978,233 40.9%
2022 $152,190,819 $99,840,564 -13.3%
2023 $151,455,968 $100,485,943 -0.48%
2024 $160,350,640 $102,254,749 5.87%

Economic Statistics of Nauru

Nauru Rank
Gross domestic product
$160M
2024
195/197
GDP growth
5.87%
2023-2024
94/196
GDP per capita
$13,422
2024
75/197
GDP per capita, PPP
$14,327
2024
118/197
Government debt
$28.2M
2024
184/185
Debt-to-GDP ratio
15.2%
2025
177/185
Government debt per person
$2,360
2024
114/185
Average annual personal income after taxes
$8,196
2025
86/197
Income share by richest 10%
25.3%
2012
112/169
Income share by poorest 10%
3.4%
2012
41/169
Government expenditure, % of GDP
135%
2025
1/195
Consumer prices inflation
6.1%
2024-2025
45/195
Unemployment rate
5.06%
2021
103/196
Population
12088
195/197

Nauru's GDP per capita

Nauru has a GDP per capita of $13,422, ranking 75/197, a GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of $14,327, ranking 118/197, and a median annual after tax income of $8,196, ranking 86/197.

GDP per capita
GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1970 $2,619 -
1971 $2,811 -
1972 $3,191 -
1973 $3,864 -
1974 $5,199 -
1975 $5,740 -
1976 $5,703 -
1977 $5,646 -
1978 $5,721 -
1979 $5,950 -
1980 $6,138 -
1981 $6,594 -
1982 $6,577 -
1983 $5,896 -
1984 $5,654 -
1985 $4,859 -
1986 $4,569 -
1987 $4,485 -
1988 $5,012 -
1989 $5,723 -
1990 $5,776 $16,443
1991 $5,333 $13,451
1992 $5,103 $11,324
1993 $4,310 $9,646
1994 $3,921 $9,439
1995 $3,932 $8,849
1996 $3,679 $7,928
1997 $3,661 $7,332
1998 $2,909 $6,540
1999 $2,683 $6,204
2000 $2,649 $5,920
2001 $2,232 $5,666
2002 $2,085 $5,205
2003 $2,463 $5,335
2004 $3,041 $5,241
2005 $3,014 $5,392
2006 $2,908 $6,030
2007 $2,302 $4,826
2008 $3,715 $5,928
2009 $4,395 $5,624
2010 $4,724 $5,668
2011 $6,481 $6,582
2012 $9,817 $8,261
2013 $8,975 $8,501
2014 $9,193 $9,858
2015 $7,703 $10,020
2016 $8,724 $10,371
2017 $9,613 $9,770
2018 $11,409 $9,740
2019 $10,777 $10,640
2020 $10,696 $10,942
2021 $14,990 $12,197
2022 $12,896 $13,347
2023 $12,754 $13,830
2024 $13,422 $14,327

Nauru's government spending, deficit, and chart

This chart shows Nauru's government spending, budget balance, and debt over time, each expressed as a share of GDP.

Over the past 17 years, Nauru recorded a fiscal deficit in 0 years — average annual surplus equal to +18.9% of GDP. In 2024, government spending reached $198M (135% of GDP), with a surplus of +10.8%.

The national debt reached $28.2M, ranking 184th out of 185 countries by total size, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 15.2%, ranking 177th.

Government spending
Government debt
Deficit/surplus
Year % of GDP
Government spending Government debt Government deficit/surplus
2009 68% 246.7% 0.37%
2010 73.8% 242.5% 0.09%
2011 44.7% 188.9% 2.73%
2012 46% 123.1% 8.12%
2013 66% 126.9% 1.71%
2014 61.3% 112.5% 29.6%
2015 85.4% 82.2% 10.7%
2016 96% 61.2% 18.9%
2017 102.3% 78% 16.2%
2018 90.8% 71.1% 29.6%
2019 106% 59.6% 31%
2020 109.4% 56.3% 42.8%
2021 93% 20.5% 44.5%
2022 134.8% 22.4% 24.3%
2023 118.1% 20.5% 19.4%
2024 123.5% 17.6% 30.1%
2025 135% 15.2% 10.8%

Inflation rate by year

Over the past 20 years, Nauru has had an average annual inflation rate of 4.71%. In 2025, inflation was 6.1%. The bar chart below shows consumer price inflation by year.

Year Inflation
2005 8.7%
2006 19.3%
2007 5.6%
2008 1%
2009 22.4%
2010 -2%
2011 -3.4%
2012 0.3%
2013 -1.1%
2014 0.3%
2015 9.8%
2016 8.1%
2017 4.5%
2018 1.1%
2019 4.1%
2020 0.9%
2021 2%
2022 1.1%
2023 4.8%
2024 9.3%
2025 6.1%

Balance of trade

Nauru Rank
Current account balance
$1.92M
2023
74/189
Current account balance, % of GDP
+1.27%
2023
63/189
Goods imports
$89M
2023
187/188
Goods exports
$31.8M
2023
182/188
Service imports
$61.2M
2023
184/188
Service exports
$33.1M
2023
182/188
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
118.7%
2024
5/180
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
39.5%
2024
80/193

Nauru's top 10 trading partners

Nauru's biggest trading partner accounting for 53.4%% of all exports and imports is Thailand, with a trade balance between the two of +$141M — Nauru exports $143M worth of goods and services to Thailand and imports $1.57M.

Below is the list of the top 10 trade partners of Nauru.

Rank Country Trade value Share of total trade Export to Import from Top export to Top import from
1 Thailand $145M 53.4% $143M $1.57M Animal & marine products Machinery & equipment
2 Australia $36.4M 13.4% $114K $36.3M Machinery & equipment Machinery & equipment
3 China $20M 7.38% $8.53M $11.5M Raw materials & minerals Machinery & equipment
4 Philippines $10M 3.71% $9.98M $55K Animal & marine products Processed food, beverages & tobacco
5 Senegal $9.54M 3.52% $9.54M $0 Raw agricultural goods Animal & marine products
6 South Korea $9M 3.32% $8.84M $163K Raw materials & minerals Machinery & equipment
7 Japan $7.11M 2.63% $626K $6.49M Animal & marine products Machinery & equipment
8 New Zealand $6.77M 2.5% $5.53M $1.24M Raw materials & minerals Machinery & equipment
9 Fiji $5.17M 1.91% $54K $5.12M Processed food, beverages & tobacco Raw agricultural goods
10 United States $3.24M 1.2% $2.32M $917K Textiles & consumer goods Machinery & equipment

Nauru's top 10 exports

Nauru Rank
Animal & marine products $155M 95/192
Raw materials & minerals $23.1M 161/193
Raw agricultural goods $9.54M 158/193
Machinery & equipment $9.08M 165/193
Business & finance services $8.61M 173/188
Textiles & consumer goods $4.94M 154/193
Transport & tourism services $2.46M 186/188
Chemicals & pharma $618K 176/193
Processed food, beverages & tobacco $499K 183/192
Metals $348K 184/192

Nauru's top 10 imports

Nauru Rank
Transport & tourism services $32.9M 186/188
Machinery & equipment $28M 190/193
Processed food, beverages & tobacco $10.1M 191/193
Miscellaneous $4.67M 169/193
Animal & marine products $4.53M 192/193
Raw materials & minerals $4.08M 192/193
Textiles & consumer goods $3.97M 191/193
Chemicals & pharma $3.93M 191/193
Metals $3.73M 190/193
Government & miscellaneous services $2.79M 159/180

Economic freedom indices

Nauru Rank
Economic freedom 60 96/197

More economic indicators

Nauru Rank
GNI, Atlas method
$254M
2024
192/194
GNI per capita, PPP
$23,210
2024
80/191
Net foreign direct investment
$3.11M
2023
40/188
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
-$280K
2024
173/193
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$6.17M
2024
125/187

Compare countries by 7 more topics

GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

Economy comparisons

Economy vs Nauru
Afghanistan Compare
Albania Compare
Algeria Compare
Andorra Compare
Angola Compare
Antigua Compare
Argentina Compare
Armenia Compare
Australia Compare
Austria Compare
Azerbaijan Compare
Bahamas Compare
Bahrain Compare
Bangladesh Compare
Barbados Compare
Belarus Compare
Belgium Compare
Belize Compare
Benin Compare
Bhutan Compare
Bolivia Compare
Bosnia Compare
Botswana Compare
Brazil Compare
Brunei Compare
Bulgaria Compare
Burkina Faso Compare
Burundi Compare
Cambodia Compare
Cameroon Compare
Canada Compare
Cape Verde Compare
Cayman Islands Compare
CAR Compare
Chad Compare
Chile Compare
China Compare
Colombia Compare
Comoros Compare
Congo Compare
Costa Rica Compare
Croatia Compare
Cuba Compare
Curacao Compare
Cyprus Compare
Czech Republic Compare
DR Congo Compare
Denmark Compare
Djibouti Compare
Dominica Compare
Dominican Republic Compare
East Timor Compare
Ecuador Compare
Egypt Compare
El Salvador Compare
Equatorial Guinea Compare
Eritrea Compare
Estonia Compare
Eswatini Compare
Ethiopia Compare
Fiji Compare
Finland Compare
France Compare
Gabon Compare
Gambia Compare
Georgia Compare
Germany Compare
Ghana Compare
Greece Compare
Grenada Compare
Guatemala Compare
Guinea Compare
Guinea-Bissau Compare
Guyana Compare
Haiti Compare
Honduras Compare
Hungary Compare
Iceland Compare
India Compare
Indonesia Compare
Iran Compare
Iraq Compare
Ireland Compare
Israel Compare
Italy Compare
Ivory Coast Compare
Jamaica Compare
Japan Compare
Jordan Compare
Kazakhstan Compare
Kenya Compare
Kiribati Compare
Kuwait Compare
Kyrgyzstan Compare
Laos Compare
Latvia Compare
Lebanon Compare
Lesotho Compare
Liberia Compare
Libya Compare
Liechtenstein Compare
Lithuania Compare
Luxembourg Compare
Madagascar Compare
Malawi Compare
Malaysia Compare
Maldives Compare
Mali Compare
Malta Compare
Marshall Islands Compare
Mauritania Compare
Mauritius Compare
Mexico Compare
Moldova Compare
Monaco Compare
Mongolia Compare
Montenegro Compare
Morocco Compare
Mozambique Compare
Myanmar Compare
Namibia Compare
Nepal Compare
Netherlands Compare
New Zealand Compare
Nicaragua Compare
Niger Compare
Nigeria Compare
North Korea Compare
North Macedonia Compare
Norway Compare
Oman Compare
Pakistan Compare
Palau Compare
Palestine Compare
Panama Compare
Papua New Guinea Compare
Paraguay Compare
Peru Compare
Philippines Compare
Poland Compare
Portugal Compare
Qatar Compare
Romania Compare
Russia Compare
Rwanda Compare
Saint Kitts Compare
Saint Lucia Compare
Saint Vincent Compare
Samoa Compare
San Marino Compare
Sao Tome Compare
Saudi Arabia Compare
Senegal Compare
Serbia Compare
Seychelles Compare
Sierra Leone Compare
Singapore Compare
Slovakia Compare
Slovenia Compare
Solomon Islands Compare
Somalia Compare
South Africa Compare
South Korea Compare
South Sudan Compare
Spain Compare
Sri Lanka Compare
Sudan Compare
Suriname Compare
Sweden Compare
Switzerland Compare
Syria Compare
Taiwan Compare
Tajikistan Compare
Tanzania Compare
Thailand Compare
Togo Compare
Tonga Compare
Trinidad Compare
Tunisia Compare
Turkey Compare
Turkmenistan Compare
Tuvalu Compare
Uganda Compare
Ukraine Compare
UAE Compare
United Kingdom Compare
United States Compare
Uruguay Compare
Uzbekistan Compare
Vanuatu Compare
Vatican Compare
Venezuela Compare
Vietnam Compare
Yemen Compare
Zambia Compare
Zimbabwe Compare

The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.