This dataset provides values for GOVERNMENT DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

In the third quarter of 2024, Greece's national debt was the highest in all the European Union, amounting to 158 percent of Greece's gross domestic product. In spite of Greece's total being high by EU standards, it marks a substantial decrease from the historical high point reached by the country's national debt of 207 percent of GDP in 2020. Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, and Portugal also all have government debt worth over one year's production of their economies, while the small Baltic country of Estonia has the smallest national debt when compared with GDP, at only 24 percent. In debitum incrementum?A country’s national debt, also known as government debt or public debt, is defined as all borrowings owed by the government of a country. It usually comprises internal debt – owed to other governmental departments – and external debt, which is held by the public and is owed to government bond owners. National debt can be caused by a struggling economy in general, or by low tax income, which usually leads to money being borrowed from other governments for support, which in turn cannot be paid back right away. At first glance, a high national debt is not always a sign of a struggling economy – but since increasing debt can slow down economic growth significantly, it is imperative for the respective government to seek a steady reduction in the long run.

This statistic shows the national debt of the European Union and the euro area in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP) from 2019 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. In 2023, the national debt of the European Union amounted to approximately 82.14 percent of the gross domestic product.

The average level of government debt to GDP ratios in the European Union and the Euro currency area increased rapidly following the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 and subsequent recession, peaking in the Eurozone at 93.2 percent of GDP. This figure was exceeded once more in 2020 due to increased borrowing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Eurozone average now being over 90% of yearly production. The debt to GDP ratio measures the stock of government debt which is yet to be paid off in relation to the Gross Domestic Product of a country or region, which is the monetary value of goods and services produced and sold in a year. This ratio gives a clearer picture of debt sustainability than by looking at the absolute value of debt, as a country with a large economy may be able to easily pay off debts which seem large in absolute terms, but are in fact small in comparison to GDP.

Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year.

Key information about European Union Total Debt: % of GDP

• European Union Total Debt accounted for 719.1 % of the country's GDP in 2022, compared with the ratio of 797.7 % in the previous year.
• EU Total Debt: % of GDP data is updated yearly, available from Dec 2001 to Dec 2022.
• The data reached an all-time high of 815.6 % in Dec 2020 and a record low of 547.8 % in Dec 2001.

CEIC calculates annual Total Debt as % of Nominal GDP from annual Total Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. Total Debt is calculated as the Total Liabilities less Equity & Investment Fund Shares and Financial Derivatives. Eurostat provides Total Debt in EUR and Nominal GDP in EUR. European Union stands for EU27 excluding UK.

Several European Union member states have struggled with high levels of public debt in the period since the Global Financial Crisis. In particular, Greece's debt skyrocketed during the recession which followed the crisis, culminating in a period of intense political and social upheaval during the early 2010s in which the country came close to having to leave the Euro single currency zone. Along with Italy, Portugal, Spain and France, Greece is part of a group of EU members who have seen their debt soar to a value worth over one year's aggregate production in their economies (i.e. 100% of GDP) due to slow economic growth coupled with increasing public liabilities due to the need to provide emergency support to their domestic financial systems. Belgium, while also a part of this group of high-debt ratio countries has quite different circumstances, as its debt ratio has in fact fallen since the 1990s, remaining 20 percent below its 1995 level, even after a spike due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key information about European Union Household Debt: % of GDP

• European Union household debt accounted for 44.1 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with the ratio of 44.4 % in the previous quarter.
• EU household debt to GDP ratio is updated quarterly, available from Sep 1997 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 54.2 % in Jun 2010 and a record low of 38.9 % in Sep 1997.

CEIC calculates quarterly Household Debt as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Household Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. European Central Bank provides Household Debt in EUR. Eurostat provides Nominal GDP in EUR. Loans are used due to the lack of Flow of Funds statistics. Household Debt includes Mortgages and Consumer Loans.


Related information about European Union Household Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, EU Household Debt reached 6,956.2 USD bn in Jan 2025.
• Money Supply M2 in EU increased 3.3 % YoY in Jan 2025.
• EU Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 297.5 USD bn in Jan 2025.
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 1.4 Months of Import in Dec 2024.
• EU Domestic Credit reached 25,135.4 USD bn in Dec 2024, representing an increased of 2.7 % YoY.

Households Debt In the Euro Area decreased to 51.80 percent of GDP in the third quarter of 2024 from 52.10 percent of GDP in the second quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - Euro Area Households Debt To Gdp- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This dataset provides values for PRIVATE DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

EU: General Government Gross Debt: % of GDP data was reported at 83.201 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 85.379 % for 2016. EU: General Government Gross Debt: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 64.941 % from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2017, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 87.736 % in 2014 and a record low of 57.872 % in 2007. EU: General Government Gross Debt: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund - World Economic Outlook. The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Aggregate: Euro Area and European Union – Table EU.IMF.WEO: General Government Balance: European Union (EU28).

This statistic shows a forecast of the national debt of selected euro countries from 2020 to 2024 in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP). The national debt figures include the debt of the central state, the states, the communities and the parishes, as well as social security. In Greece, the national debt is estimated to amount 154.4 percent of the GDP in 2024.

European Union General Government Debt: % of GDP: EA 19 data was reported at 85.100 % in 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 87.100 % for 2017. European Union General Government Debt: % of GDP: EA 19 data is updated yearly, averaging 79.200 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2018, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 92.000 % in 2014 and a record low of 65.000 % in 2007. European Union General Government Debt: % of GDP: EA 19 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.F008: Eurostat: General Government: Percentage of GDP: ESA 2010.

As of 2024, Ukraine had the highest government debt of any candidate country for membership of the European Union, with its debt being worth approximately 95 percent of its gross domestic product. This debt burden was in line with the average government debt level of European Union countries, which stood at 80 percent in 2023, driven by highly indebted countries such as Greece, Italy, and France. All candidate countries for EU membership apart from Ukraine have relatively low levels of government debt, a positive sign for their chances of joining the EU, as the Copenhagen Criteria require that a country which joins the EU must have a stable market economy which will be able to deal with the impact of joining the union. Government debt levels of around 50 percent are common among developed countries and are not considered to be detrimental to economic progress.

European Union General Government Debt: % of GDP: EA 20 data was reported at 87.400 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 89.500 % for 2022. European Union General Government Debt: % of GDP: EA 20 data is updated yearly, averaging 80.000 % from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2023, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 96.500 % in 2020 and a record low of 65.900 % in 2007. European Union General Government Debt: % of GDP: EA 20 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.F008: Eurostat: General Government: Percentage of GDP: ESA 2010.

This dataset provides values for HOUSEHOLDS DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

This statistic shows the deficit and public debts of European Union (EU) member countries in the last quarter of 2023, as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It appears that the most in-debt country was Greece, with a deficit and public debt amounting to 161.9 percent of the national GDP.

Graph and download economic data for Outstanding Domestic Public Debt Securities to GDP for Euro Area (DISCONTINUED) (DDDM04EZA156NWDB) from 1990 to 2011 about public, Euro Area, Europe, debt, securities, domestic, and GDP.

France, Italy, Germany, and Spain are the four member states of the European Union with the largest government debts in absolute terms. These countries' debts range from around 1.5 trillion euros for Spain, to closer to three trillion euros for France. The absolute value of a countries debt can be a misleading indicator, as countries with larger economies and population naturally tend to have larger absolute debt burdens - therefore, to see how capable a country is of servicing or paying off its debt, it is better to look at the ratio of its debt compared to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Key information about European Union National Government Debt

• European Union National Government Debt reached 16,136.9 USD bn in Sep 2024, compared with 15,321.8 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• EU National Government Debt data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2000 to Sep 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 16,136.9 USD bn in Sep 2024 and a record low of 4,554.4 USD bn in Jun 2001.

CEIC converts quarterly Government Debt into USD. Eurostat provides Government Debt in EUR based on ESA 2010. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. European Union stands for EU27 excluding UK.


Related information about European Union National Government Debt

• In the latest reports, EU Consolidated Fiscal Balance recorded a deficit equal to 3.5 % of its Nominal GDP in Dec 2023.
• The country's Government debt accounted for 81.6 % of its Nominal GDP in Sep 2024.
• EU Nominal GDP reached 4,430.4 USD bn in Mar 2023.