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.

Euro Area recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 87.10 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Euro Area Government Debt to GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

This statistic shows the national debt of the European Union and the euro area in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP) from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the national debt of the European Union amounted to approximately 82.5 percent of the gross domestic product.

Key information about European Union Government Debt: % of GDP

• European Union Government debt accounted for 81.9 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Jun 2025, compared with the ratio of 81.5 % in the previous quarter.
• EU government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2000 to Jun 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 709.6 % in Jun 2020 and a record low of -41,680.0 % in Oct 2025.

CEIC calculates quarterly Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Government Debt and rolling sum of quarterly Nominal GDP. Eurostat provides Government Debt in EUR and Nominal GDP in EUR. European Union stands for EU27 excluding UK.


Related information about European Union Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, EU National Government Debt reached 17,710.7 USD bn in Jun 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 5,301.1 USD bn in Jun 2025.

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.

Government Debt in European Union increased to 14543529 EUR Million in 2024 from 13901072 EUR Million in 2023. This dataset provides - European Union Government Debt- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This statistic shows the national debt in the member states of the European Union in the second quarter of 2024. The data refer to the entire state and are comprised of the debts of central government, provinces, municipalities, local authorities and social security. In the second quarter of 2024, Greece's national debt amounted to about 369.4 billion euros. National debt in the EU member states National or government debt is the debt owed by a central government. No country in the European Union is debt-free, although some are able to manage their debts better than others. Debt is influenced by the economic situation of a country, factors such as unemployment, the rate of inflation or the trade figures have a significant impact on its extent, and are, in turn, influenced by the national debt. The economic crisis has hit some EU countries harder than others; Spain, Ireland and Greece especially have been struggling economically since 2008. Greece’s national debt has skyrocketed over the past few years, and the same can be said about Spain and Ireland. Other EU countries, like France and the United Kingdom have been affected as well, albeit not as severely. The national debt of a country can be reduced by applying several measures: money can be borrowed (for example in the form of rescue packages), austerity programs can be enforced, taxes can be increased or central banks can inject liquidity into the economy through the implementation of quantitative easing policies. Some critics of the policy claim that this could lead to a higher level of inflation, which, if severe enough, could have a detrimental impact on living standards.

Key information about European Union External Debt: % of GDP

• European Union External Debt accounted for 109.7 % of the country's Nominal GDP in 2024, compared with the ratio of 110.9 % in the previous year.
• EU External Debt: % of Nominal GDP data is updated yearly, available from Dec 2008 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 134.2 % in Dec 2016 and a record low of 109.7 % in Dec 2024.

CEIC calculates External Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly External Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. European Central Bank provides External Debt in EUR. Eurostat provides Nominal GDP in EUR. External Debt as % of Nominal GDP covers Euro Area 20. External Debt as % of Nominal GDP prior to 2013 covers Euro Area 19.


Related information about European Union External Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports of EU, Current Account recorded a surplus of 149.6 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 11.9 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• EU Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 7.3 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 210.3 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• The country's External Debt reached 19,891,982.8 in Jun 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 5,301.1 USD bn in Jun 2025.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Central government debt, total (% of GDP) for the European Union (GCDODTOTLGDZSEUU) from 1991 to 2015 about EU, Europe, debt, government, and GDP.

Government Debt In the Euro Area increased to 13258118 EUR Million in 2024 from 12753756 EUR Million in 2023. This dataset provides - Euro Area Government Debt- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Key information about EU External Debt

• European Union External Debt reached 19,892.0 USD bn in Jun 2025, compared with 18,347.6 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• EU External Debt: USD mn data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2008 to Jun 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 19,892.0 USD bn in Jun 2025 and a record low of 13,821.6 USD bn in Jun 2010.

CEIC converts quarterly External Debt into USD. European Central Bank provides External Debt in EUR. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. External Debt prior to Q1 2013 covers Euro Area 19.


Related information about EU External Debt

• In the latest reports of EU, Current Account recorded a surplus of 149.6 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 11.9 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• EU Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 7.3 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 210.3 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 5,301.1 USD bn in Jun 2025.

Key information about European Union Household Debt

• European Union Household Debt reached 7,877.1 USD bn in Oct 2025, compared with the reported number of 7,998.9 USD bn in the previous month
• EU Household Debt: USD mn data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1999 to Oct 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 7,998.9 USD bn in Sep 2025 and a record low of 2,500.5 USD bn in Oct 2000

CEIC converts monthly Household Debt into USD. European Central Bank provides Household Debt in EUR. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Loans are used due to the lack of Flow of Funds statistics in monthly frequency. Household Debt includes Mortgages and Consumer Loans.


Further information about European Union Household Debt

• In the latest reports, European Union Household Debt accounted for 50.9 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Jun 2025
• Money Supply M2 in European Union increased 18,352.1 USD bn YoY in Oct 2025
• European Union Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 322.0 USD bn in Oct 2025
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 1.2 Months of Import in Sep 2025
• European Union Domestic Credit reached 24,974.9 USD bn in Feb 2025, representing an increased of 1.6 % YoY

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.

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

Key information about European Union National Government Debt

• European Union National Government Debt reached 17,710.7 USD bn in Jun 2025, compared with 16,008.2 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• EU National Government Debt data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2000 to Jun 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 17,710.7 USD bn in Jun 2025 and a record low of 4,554.8 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 3.1 % of its Nominal GDP in Dec 2024.
• The country's Government debt accounted for 81.9 % of its Nominal GDP in Jun 2025.
• EU Nominal GDP reached 5,301.1 USD bn in Jun 2025.

. Private Debt is calculated as the sum of Loans to Non Financial Sector and Households. European Central Bank provides Private Debt in EUR. Eurostat provides Nominal GDP in EUR.

Graph and download economic data for Outstanding International Public Debt Securities to GDP for Euro Area (DISCONTINUED) (DDDM06EZA156NWDB) from 1980 to 2015 about public, Euro Area, Europe, debt, securities, and GDP.

The national debt of Italy amounted to approximately 3.20 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the national debt has risen by around 2.58 trillion U.S. dollars since 1988. Between 2024 and 2030, the national debt will rise by around 619.06 billion U.S. dollars, continuing its consistent upward trajectory.

The average for 2023 based on 9 countries was 68.75 percent. The highest value was in Montenegro: 113.31 percent and the lowest value was in Turkey: 45.15 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.