# Rising sovereign debt and fiscal sustainability risks

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/rising-sovereign-debt-and-fiscal-sustainability-risks
> Updated: 2026-08-31T02:45:13.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2.

Analysis of G7 economies indicates that interest payments on sovereign debt have surpassed defense spending in most nations. For instance, Italy’s debt service costs are approximately 193% of its defense budget, while the United States, United Kingdom, and France report figures exceeding 100%. Germany remains an exception, with interest outlays at roughly 35% of its defense budget.

As global economic uncertainty rises, high debt-to-GDP ratios are contributing to potential recessionary pressures. In the United States, the national debt has exceeded $39 trillion, representing about 124% of its GDP. Similar trends are noted in France (113%), Canada (111%), and the United Kingdom (93.6%). These elevated debt levels, alongside inflation and trade tensions, increase vulnerability to polycrises that could impact employment and price stability.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-31: Global economic uncertainty rises amid high national debt levels

Rising global debt levels and economic uncertainty, including high debt-to-GDP ratios in the US, France, and Canada, are driving calls for increased financial and resource preparedness.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/global-economic-uncertainty-rises-amid-high-national-debt-levels

### 2026-08-04: G7 Nations' Debt Interest Outpaces Defense Budgets

Scope Ratings reports that most G7 countries now spend more on debt interest than defence, with Italy, the US, UK and France heavily affected, and forecasts debt ratios rising to 135 % of GDP by 2029.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/g7-nations-debt-interest-outpaces-defense-budgets

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Cite as: Rising sovereign debt and fiscal sustainability risks. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/rising-sovereign-debt-and-fiscal-sustainability-risks