Affärslivet

Global ranking · 49 economies · World Bank data

Current Account Balance by Country 2026

Current Account Balance by Country 2026: 49 economies ranked by current account balance (% of GDP), with nominal & PPP figures, 10-year trends, regional breakdowns, charts and a downloadable dataset. Ireland leads at 17.4%; Sweden ranks 10th of 49 at 6.1% (2025). Source: World Bank. Free to cite.

By Affärslivet Research · Published 2026-07-01 · Updated 2026-07-08 · Version 1.1 · CC BY 4.0

17.4%Highest (Ireland)World Bank, 2024
10thSweden's rankof 49 economies
6.1%Swedencurrent account balance (% of GDP), 2025
n/aEuropean Unionreference
n/aOECDreference
n/aWorldreference

Executive summary

This index ranks 49 of the world's largest economies by current account balance (% of GDP), using World Bank Open Data for cross-country comparability, and goes beyond a single snapshot: it shows the nominal figure, a ten-year history, a regional breakdown and the biggest movers. Ireland leads at 17.4% (2024); Ukraine is lowest among those ranked at -8.0%. Sweden ranks 10th of 49 at 6.1% (2025). As reference points, the EU stands at n/a, the OECD at n/a and the world at n/a. Every figure carries its World Bank series and reference year, and the complete dataset is free to download as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

Key findings

0117.4%of 49 economies

Ireland tops the ranking

Ireland has the highest current account balance (% of GDP) among the 49 economies in this index at 17.4% (2024).

Source: World Bank Open Data · 2024 · confidence: High

0210th6.1%

Where Sweden ranks

Sweden ranks 10th of 49 at 6.1% (2025), above the OECD reference of n/a.

Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High

035 economiesIreland, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Norway, Denmark

Top five

The five highest by current account balance (% of GDP) are Ireland (17.4%), Singapore (16.7%), United Arab Emirates (14.5%), Norway (14.0%), Denmark (12.2%).

Source: World Bank Open Data · 2024 · confidence: High

Data vintage — July 2026

Figures reflect the most recent year available in the World Bank Open Data API for each economy (shown next to every value). This index of current account balance by country regenerates automatically as new data is published.

Overview

The current-account balance — a country's net trade in goods, services and income with the world, as a share of GDP — shows whether it is a net lender to or borrower from the rest of the world. This index ranks countries by current-account balance (World Bank, compiled from IMF).

Persistent surpluses (Germany, the Nordics, several Asian exporters) sit at the top; large deficits at the bottom. Neither is inherently good or bad, but sustained imbalances shape currencies, debt and trade politics.

What drives the ranking

The balance reflects national saving minus investment: high-saving, export-strong economies run surpluses, while economies investing more than they save (often importing capital) run deficits.

Sweden's persistent surplus reflects its export strength and high savings — a structural feature Affärslivet tracks alongside the krona and trade data.

By region

Median current account balance (% of GDP) by world region among the ranked economies. Regional medians reveal patterns the country ranking alone can hide.

RegionEconomiesMedianHighestLowest
Europe231.7%17.4%-8.0%
Asia-Pacific122.2%16.7%-3.6%
Americas7-1.2%-0.4%-3.6%
Middle East & Africa7-0.4%14.5%-3.8%

Biggest movers

The largest changes in current account balance (% of GDP) over the available window — where the action has been.

CountryChangeΔPeriod
Ireland-20.6% → 17.4%+38.0%2019–2024
Norway1.1% → 14.0%+12.9%2020–2025
Nigeria-2.7% → 4.8%+7.5%2020–2025
Philippines3.2% → -3.3%-6.5%2020–2025
Switzerland0.4% → 7.0%+6.5%2020–2025
Iceland1.9% → -3.5%-5.4%2020–2025
Ukraine-2.7% → -8.0%-5.3%2019–2024
Greece-2.1% → -7.1%-5.0%2019–2024

Full ranking — 49 economies

Complete ranking by current account balance (% of GDP), most recent World Bank data, with world region. Region aggregates (EU, OECD, World) appear in the At-a-glance box as reference points.

#CountryCurrent Account Balance (% Of Gdp)RegionYear
1Ireland17.4%Europe2024
2Singapore16.7%Asia-Pacific2025
3United Arab Emirates14.5%Middle East & Africa2024
4Norway14.0%Europe2025
5Denmark12.2%Europe2024
6Netherlands9.1%Europe2024
7Switzerland7.0%Europe2025
8South Korea6.6%Asia-Pacific2025
9Viet Nam6.3%Asia-Pacific2024
10Sweden6.1%Europe2025
11Japan4.9%Asia-Pacific2025
12Nigeria4.8%Middle East & Africa2025
13Germany4.5%Europe2025
14China3.8%Asia-Pacific2025
15Spain2.9%Europe2025
16Thailand2.8%Asia-Pacific2025
17Portugal2.1%Europe2024
18Austria1.8%Europe2025
19Malaysia1.7%Asia-Pacific2024
20Russia1.7%Europe2025
21Hungary1.7%Europe2025
22Israel1.4%Middle East & Africa2025
23Finland1.3%Europe2025
24Italy1.1%Europe2025
25Czechia0.6%Europe2025
26Indonesia-0.1%Asia-Pacific2025
27France-0.3%Europe2025
28India-0.4%Asia-Pacific2025
29South Africa-0.4%Middle East & Africa2025
30Mexico-0.4%Americas2025
31Turkiye-0.8%Middle East & Africa2024
32Poland-0.9%Europe2025
33Canada-0.9%Americas2025
34Argentina-1.1%Americas2025
35Chile-1.2%Americas2025
36Belgium-1.9%Europe2025
37Colombia-2.4%Americas2025
38United Kingdom-2.4%Europe2025
39Saudi Arabia-2.6%Middle East & Africa2025
40Australia-2.7%Asia-Pacific2025
41Brazil-2.9%Americas2025
42Philippines-3.3%Asia-Pacific2025
43Iceland-3.5%Europe2025
44New Zealand-3.6%Asia-Pacific2025
45United States-3.6%Americas2025
46Egypt-3.8%Middle East & Africa2025
47Greece-7.1%Europe2024
48Romania-7.9%Europe2025
49Ukraine-8.0%Europe2024

Scoreboard (machine-readable data)

Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.

↓ CSV · ↓ JSON

IndicatorValuePeriodSourceConf.
Ireland17.4 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Singapore16.71 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
United Arab Emirates14.48 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Norway13.97 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Denmark12.2 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Netherlands9.14 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Switzerland6.98 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
South Korea6.57 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Viet Nam6.33 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Sweden6.06 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Japan4.86 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Nigeria4.83 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Germany4.51 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
China3.77 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Spain2.94 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Thailand2.76 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Portugal2.08 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Austria1.79 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Malaysia1.69 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Russia1.68 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Hungary1.65 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Israel1.4 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Finland1.34 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Italy1.15 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Czechia0.62 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Indonesia-0.11 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
France-0.27 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
India-0.42 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
South Africa-0.42 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Mexico-0.45 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Turkiye-0.77 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Poland-0.87 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Canada-0.95 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Argentina-1.11 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Chile-1.22 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Belgium-1.93 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Colombia-2.38 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
United Kingdom-2.43 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Saudi Arabia-2.56 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Australia-2.68 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Brazil-2.93 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Philippines-3.34 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Iceland-3.48 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
New Zealand-3.62 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
United States-3.63 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Egypt-3.82 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Greece-7.11 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Romania-7.9 %2025World Bank Open DataHigh
Ukraine-7.96 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh

Methodology & verification

Economies are ranked by current account balance (% of GDP) using the World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Each value is the most recent year available for that economy, shown alongside the figure; the trend table uses each economy's reported history. Economies with no reported value are omitted rather than estimated. Region aggregates (EU, euro area, OECD, World) are reference points, not ranked. The current account is volatile and revised often; a surplus is not automatically 'good' (it can signal weak domestic demand) nor a deficit 'bad' (it can fund productive investment). Confidence: High (official multilateral source).

Data dictionary

FieldTypeDescription
metricstringWorld Bank indicator code : country ISO3
labelstringCountry name
valuenumbercurrent account balance (% of GDP) value
unitstring%
periodstringReference year
geographystringCountry
source_urlstringWorld Bank indicator page

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest current account balance (% of GDP)?

Ireland, at 17.4% (2024). Source: World Bank Open Data.

Where does Sweden rank by current account balance (% of GDP)?

Sweden ranks 10th of 49 at 6.1% (2025). Source: World Bank.

What are the top five by current account balance (% of GDP)?

Ireland (17.4%), Singapore (16.7%), United Arab Emirates (14.5%), Norway (14.0%), Denmark (12.2%). Source: World Bank.

How is current account balance (% of GDP) defined?

Current account balance (% of GDP), as reported by the World Bank. See the methodology and glossary for details.

How many economies are ranked?

49 of the world's largest economies, plus the EU, OECD and World aggregates as reference points.

What is the caveat with this metric?

The current account is volatile and revised often; a surplus is not automatically 'good' (it can signal weak domestic demand) nor a deficit 'bad' (it can fund productive investment).

Where does the data come from?

The World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Every figure shows its reference year and links to its World Bank indicator page.

How current is it, and how often does it update?

Each figure is the latest year the World Bank reports for that economy. The index regenerates automatically as new data is released.

Can I download this ranking?

Yes — the full ranking is available as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence, free to reuse with attribution to Affärslivet.

Glossary

Current Account Balance (% Of Gdp)
Current account balance (% of GDP) — as reported by the World Bank. ↗
World Bank Open Data
A free, authoritative database of harmonised economic indicators for every country. ↗
Purchasing-power parity (PPP)
A conversion that equalises the price of a comparable basket of goods across countries, so output and incomes can be compared in real terms rather than at market exchange rates. ↗
Nominal (current US$)
A value converted at prevailing market exchange rates and not adjusted for differences in price levels. ↗
GNI per capita
Gross national income per person — like GDP per capita but including net income earned abroad; useful where cross-border corporate flows are large. ↗
Reference year
The year a figure applies to; it can differ across countries because national statistics are published on different schedules. ↗
Region aggregate
A World Bank grouping (e.g. European Union, OECD, World) whose value is a weighted regional total or average, shown here for reference rather than ranked. ↗

How to cite this report

APA

Affärslivet Research. (2026). Current Account Balance by Country 2026. Affärslivet. Version 1.1. https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/current-account-balance-by-country

MLA

Affärslivet Research. "Current Account Balance by Country 2026." Affärslivet, 2026-07-01, https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/current-account-balance-by-country.

BibTeX

@techreport{affarslivet_current_account_balance_by_country,
  title  = {Current Account Balance by Country 2026},
  author = {{Affärslivet Research}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {Version 1.1},
  url    = {https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/current-account-balance-by-country}
}

Sources