This Wikipedia article provides a chart documenting federal debt as a percentage of GDP since World War II. Some question the validity of Wikipedia’s statistics at times, so you may want to take this chart with a grain of salt.  Read more

Here are the top 5 in increasing national debt as a percentage of GDP:

1. Ronald Reagan, Republican (Republican majority in Congress)

2. George H.W. Bush, Republican (Democratic majority in Congress)

3. George W. Bush, Republican (Republican majority in Congress)

4. Richard Nixon/Gerald Ford, Republican (Democratic majority in Congress)

President Obama, Democrat, is not yet included in this chart, though according to current budget projections, he will likely shoot to #1 on this list.

Here are the top 5 in decreasing national debt as a percentage of GDP:

1. Franklin Roosevelt/Harry Truman, Democrat (Democratic majority in Congress). However, it must be noted that Roosevelt ballooned national debt during his “New Deal” and World War II.

2. Harry Truman, Democrat (Democratic majority in Congress)

3. Dwight Eisenhower, Republican (Democratic majority in Congress)

4. John F. Kennedy/Lyndon Johnson, Democrat (Democratic majority in Congress)

5. Bill Clinton, Democrat (Republican majority in Congress)

See the chart here.