The World's Biggest Debtor Nations

Source: External Debt information from The World Bank, GDP information from the CIA World Factbook. Throughout the financial crisis, many national economies have looked to their government and foreign lenders for financial support, which translates to increased spending, borrowing and in most cases, growing national debt.Deficit spending, government debt and private sector borrowing are the norm in most western countries, but due in part to the financial crisis, some nations and economies are in considerably worse debt positions than others. External debt is a measure of a nation's foreign liabilities, capital plus interest that the government and institutions within a nation's borders must eventually pay. This number not only includes government debt, but also debt owed by corporations and individuals to entities outside their home country.So, how does the US debt position compare to that of other countries? A useful measure of a country's debt position is by comparing gross external debt to GDP. By comparing a country's debt to what it produces, this ratio can be used to help determine the likelihood that a country as a whole will be able to repay its debt. This report takes a look at the world's 75 largest economies to see which ones have the highest external debt to GDP ratio, calculated using the most recent numbers from the World Bank. We've listed the top twenty here. Since the first time this report was published in April 2009, the debt situations of many countries have become of increasingly influential in the markets. In many European nations, these debt levels have caused international organizations and bond investors to put pressure on governments to cut public debt through austerity measures and additional reductions in spending. The countries in the most dire need are the ones in which government debt is a large proportion of external debt, such as the PIIGS nations.So, what are the world's biggest debtor nations? Click ahead to find out.By Paul ToscanoUpdated 20 Sept 2011Countries Overloaded By Debt

Photo: AP External debt (as % of GDP): 101.1%Gross external debt: $14.825 trillion2009 GDP (est): $14.66 trillionExternal debt per capita: $48,258

Photo: Stuart Westmorland | Photodisc | Getty Images External debt (as % of GDP): 120.1%Gross external debt: $225.24 billion2009 GDP (est): $187.6 billion External debt per capita: $22,739

Photo: Image Source | Getty Images External debt (as % of GDP): 138.9%Gross external debt: $1.23 trillion 2010 GDP (est): $882.4 billion External debt per capita: $57,641

Photo: Guy Vanderelst | Photographer’s Choice | Getty Images External debt (as % of GDP): 146.6%Gross external debt: $2.602 trillion2010 GDP (est): $1.77 trillionExternal debt per capita: $44,760

Photo: Jill Damico External debt (as % of GDP): 179.4% Gross external debt: $2.46 trillion2010 GDP (est): $1.37 trillionExternal debt per capita: $60,614

Photo: Jorg Greuel | The Image Bank | Getty Images External debt (as % of GDP): 182.2%Gross external debt: $579.7 billion2010 GDP (est): $318.1 billionExternal debt per capita: $53,984

Photo: Robert Debowski External debt (as % of GDP): 185.1%Gross external debt: $5.44 trillion2010 GDP (est): $2.94 trillionExternal debt per capita: $51,572

Photo: Davis McCardle | The Image Bank | Getty Images External debt (as % of GDP): 223.6%Gross external debt: $552.23 billion2010 GDP (est): $247 billionExternal debt per capita: $51,572

Photo: Al Ianni External debt (as % of GDP): 250%Gross external debt: $5.37 trillion2010 GDP (est): $2.15 trillionExternal debt per capita: $83,781

Photo: TW Angel External debt (as % of GDP): 250.4%Gross external debt: $815.65 billion2010 GDP (est): $325.8 billionExternal debt per capita: $115,612

Photo: Alex Steffier External debt (as % of GDP): 251%Gross external debt: $640.7 billion2010 GDP (est): $255.3 billionExternal debt per capita: $137,476

Photo: AP External debt (as % of GDP): 261.1%Gross external debt: $867.14 billion2010 GDP (est): $332 billionExternal debt per capita: $105,616

Photo: Lyn Gateley External debt (as % of GDP): 271.5%Gross external debt: $505.06 billion2010 GDP (est): $186 billionExternal debt per capita: $96,197

Photo: Stefan Lins External debt (as % of GDP): 282.2%Gross external debt: $1.001 trillion2010 GDP (est): $354.7 billionExternal debt per capita: $110,479

Photo: Jimg944 External debt (as % of GDP): 310.4%Gross external debt: $626.1 billion2010 GDP (est): $201.7 billionExternal debt per capita: $113,826

Photo: Eddie Van External debt (as % of GDP): 335.9%Gross external debt: $1.324 trillion2010 GDP (est): $394.3 billionExternal debt per capita: $127,197

Photo: BK59 External debt (as % of GDP): 376.3%Gross external debt: $2.55 trillion2010 GDP (est): $676.9 billionExternal debt per capita: $152,380

Photo: AP External debt (as % of GDP): 401.9%Gross external debt: $1.304 trillion2010 GDP (est): $324.5 billionExternal debt per capita: $171,528

Photo: AP External debt (as % of GDP): 413.3%Gross external debt: $8.981 trillion2010 GDP (est): $2.173 trillionExternal debt per capita: $146,953

Photo: William Murphy External debt (as % of GDP): 1,382%Gross external debt: $2.38 trillion2010 GDP (est): $172.3 billionExternal debt per capita: $566,756

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