The statistic shows the national debt of France from 2019 to 2022, with projections up until 2029. In 2022, the national debt of France amounted to around 3.19 trillion U.S. dollars. For comparison, the Greek debt amounted to approximately 392.27 billion euros that same year. French national debt and developments in taxationFrance currently has one of the highest national debt levels of any of the world’s nations. Debt in the European Union’s second-largest economy is currently at around 97 percent of GDP. The cost of interest on the country’s debt alone comes in at over 1,600 euros per second; every man, woman, and child in France, of which there are 65.3 million in total, takes a share of just under 28 thousand euros of the debt.On 6th May 2012, the incumbent French President was defeated by François Hollande, leader of the French Socialist Party. The new President vowed to develop and change the tax system of France, announcing wide-ranging economic policies in a bid to balance the nation’s budget and right what he considered to be social wrongs. He pledged and supported the separation of lending and investment banks, as well as proposing sweeping changes to the French tax system. The introduction of the measure of capping tax loopholes at a maximum of ten thousand euros per year and questioning the solidarity tax on wealth, the annual direct wealth tax on those with assets above 1.3 million, were also part of Hollande’s proposals. The President has also signaled his intention to implement an income tax rate of 75 percent on revenue earned above one million euros per year. He stated the allocation of the revenue from this tax would be used to develop the deprived suburbs and to balance the nation's budget by 2017. France is a country brimming with big business and millionaires. The nation is home to the most millionaires in Europe; 2.6 million in total.

France recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 110.60 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2023. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - France Government Debt to GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In 2024, public debt in France represented 112.3 percent of the country’s GDP. According to the source, public debt in France is supposed to remain stable in the upcoming years. There was a substantial increase between 2019 and 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the French government's economic response to it. Since 2005, public debt in France is increasing making the country one of the most in debt of the European Union.

A debt country

Public debt, also known as national debt, appears to be the difference between what a government is receiving and spending in a year. It is the accumulation of annual budget deficits, which happened when the government was spending more than receiving. Public debt in France is increasing since 2007, while the debt interest expenditure amounted to more than 45 billion euros in 2022.

France’s revenue and spending

Most of French public debt is generated by the State, in comparison with the social security system and the regional and local authorities. The budget balance of the country has been negative for years and does not appear to reach a positive one in the future. France spends most of its budget on tax repayments and abatement, as well as on education and defense. In 2021, France’s government spent more than 1.48 trillion euros, whereas its revenue amounted to 1.3 trillion euros. Non-tax revenue collected by the state came in majority from dividends, while it collected 70 billion euros by levying taxes on income and 140 billion euros through VAT in 2016.

This graphic depicts the public debt of France from 2004 to 2022 as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Since 2008, the French public debt continuously rose and reached its highest in 2020 with 146 percent of the GDP. However, since this peak of 2020, the public debt started decreasing and was equal to 117.3 percent of the GDP in 2022.

The ratio of national debt to gross domestic product (GDP) in France was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 11.8 percentage points. After the sixth consecutive increasing year, the ratio is estimated to reach 124.1 percent and therefore a new peak in 2029. Depicted here is the general government's gross debt in relation to the country's GDP. According to the International Monetary Fund, gross debt consists of all liabilities that require payment or payments of interest and/or principal by the debtor to the creditor at a date or dates in the future. The GDP, on the other hand, refers to the total value of final goods and services produced during a year.Find more key insights for the ratio of national debt to gross domestic product (GDP) in countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

This statistic shows the percentage change on the previous year for general government consolidated gross debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) in France from 2014 to 2020. In 2020, the variation was much greater than in previous years, with a variation of almost 12 percent, resulting from the COVID-19 crisis and the budgetary, economic and financial efforts made by the State to support citizens, institutions and private companies.

France debt to gdp ratio for 2022 was 98.66%, a 18.23% decline from 2021.

• France debt to gdp ratio for 2021 was 116.89%, a 6.29% decline from 2020.
• France debt to gdp ratio for 2020 was 123.17%, a 18.21% increase from 2019.
• France debt to gdp ratio for 2019 was 104.96%, a 3.34% increase from 2018.

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 France External Debt: % of GDP

• France External Debt accounted for 244.9 % of the country's Nominal GDP in 2023, compared with the ratio of 243.0 % in the previous year.
• France External Debt: % of Nominal GDP data is updated yearly, available from Dec 2004 to Dec 2023.
• The data reached an all-time high of 264.9 % in Dec 2020 and a record low of 123.0 % in Dec 2004.

CEIC calculates External Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly External Debt and annual Nominal GDP. The Banque de France provides External Debt in EUR based on BPM6. National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies provides Nominal GDP in EUR. External Debt prior to 2008 is based on BPM5, sourced from the Banque de France.


Related information about France External Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports of France, Current Account recorded a deficit of 3.4 USD bn in May 2024.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell by 111.3 USD mn in May 2024.
• France Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 2.2 USD bn in May 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 132.8 USD bn in Mar 2024.
• The country's External Debt reached 7,806,404.8 in Mar 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 736.3 USD bn in Mar 2023.

This statistic shows the government debt interest expenditure in France from 2010 to 2022, in billion euros. The debt interest expenditure peaked in 2022, at 45.8 billion euros, the highest since 2011.

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.

France 10Y Bond Yield was 3.46 percent on Thursday March 27, according to over-the-counter interbank yield quotes for this government bond maturity. France 10-Year Government Bond Yield - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

The outstanding value of Germany's general government debt securities has shown an upward trend from 2000 to the first quarter of 2024, rising from approximately 600 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 to approximately 3.1 trillion U.S. dollars in early 2024. The largest increase occurred between 2019 and 2020, when government debt securities went from 2.4 trillion to three trillion U.S. dollars.

French forward rate curves from October 22, 1987, through May 12, 2022. The file contains the French forward rate curves we can construct using a Svensson methodology and all available public data of French nominal government debt securities called OATs (Obligations Assimilables du Trésor) from October 22, 1987, through May 12, 2022. Please consult Grishchenko, Moraux and Pakulyak (2020) for extended details on the methodology, model fit, etc.

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.

Of the G7 countries, Japan had the highest net debt in terms of share of gross domestic product (GDP) between 2010 and 2024. That year, Japan's government's net debt reached an estimated 156 percent of its total GDP. Italy had the second highest debt rate at 127 percent of its GDP, whereas Canada had the lowest at only 14 percent.

Luxembourg LU: Foreign Direct Investment Income: Inward: USD: Total: French Polynesia data was reported at 0.000 USD mn in 2020. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 USD mn for 2019. Luxembourg LU: Foreign Direct Investment Income: Inward: USD: Total: French Polynesia data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 USD mn from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2020, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.000 USD mn in 2020 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 2020. Luxembourg LU: Foreign Direct Investment Income: Inward: USD: Total: French Polynesia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Luxembourg – Table LU.OECD.FDI: Foreign Direct Investment Income: USD: by Region and Country: OECD Member: Annual. Reverse investment: Netting of reverse investment in equity (when a direct investment enterprise acquires less than 10% equity ownership in its parent) and reverse investment in debt (when a direct investment enterprise extends a loan to its parent) is applied in the recording of total inward and outward FDI transactions and positions. Treatment of debt FDI transactions and positions between fellow enterprises: directional basis according to the residency of the ultimate controlling parent (extended directional principle).; Under the directional presentation , the direct investment flows and positions are organised according to the direction of the investment for the reporting economy-either outward or inward . So, for a particular country, all flows and positions of direct investors resident in that economy are shown under outward investment and all flows and positions for direct investment enterprises resident in that economy are shown under inward investment. The directional presentation reflects the direction of influence. For more details, see a complete note on ' Asset/liability versus directional presentation '; FDI financial flows are cross-border transactions between affiliated parties (direct investors, direct investment enterprises and/or fellow enterprises) recorded during the reference period (typically year or quarter). FDI positions represent the value of the stock of direct investments held at the end of the reference period (typically year or quarter). The change in direct investment positions from one period to the next is equal to the value of financial transactions recorded during the period plus other changes in prices, exchange rates, and volume. FDI income data are closely linked to the stocks of investments and are used for analysis of the productivity of the investment and calculation of the rate of return on the total funds invested. The main financial instrument components of FDI are equity and debt instruments. Equity includes common and preferred shares (exclusive of non-participating preference shares which should be included under debt), reserves, capital contributions and reinvestment of earnings. Dividends, distributed branch earnings, reinvested earnings and undistributed branch earnings are components of FDI income on equity . Reinvested earnings and reinvestment of earnings are separately identified components of equity in FDI income data and in FDI financial flows. Debt instruments include marketable securities such as bonds, debentures, commercial paper, promissory notes, non-participating preference shares and other tradable non-equity securities as well as loans, deposits, trade credit and other accounts payable/ receivable.The interest returns on the above instruments are included in FDI income on debt .; FDI transactions and positions by partner country and/or by industry are available excluding and including resident Special Purpose Entities (SPEs). The dataset 'FDI statistics by parner country and by industry - Summary' contains series including resident SPEs only. Valuation method used for listed inward and outward equity positions: Market value. Valuation method used for unlisted inward and outward equity positions: Own funds at book value. Valuation method used for inward and outward debt positions: Market value, Nominal value.

This statistic presents the breakdown of farms in France in 2020, by level of debt. That year, almost 50 percent of French farms had a debt level of 400,000 euros or more, while 3.2 percent had a debt level of less than 50,000 euros.

This statistic shows the gross domestic product (GDP) in France from 1987 to 2023, with a projection up until 2029. GDP refers to the total market value of all goods and services that are produced within a country per year. It is an important indicator of the economic strength of a country. In 2023, the GDP in France was around 3.03 trillion U.S. dollars.

Economy of France

France is an economically developed nation and one of the members of the G7. France is also considered to be one of the leading countries in Europe, often seen as the second most important nation in the European Union behind Germany. France has a relatively high gross domestic product (GDP), being one of the top 10 countries with the largest GDP in the world in 2014. Despite this, the country is still ranked in the top 20 in regards to its public debt compared to its GDP in the same year. A high debt-to-GDP ratio demonstrates a country’s ability to produce and sell goods and services in order to be able to pay back its debts, however producing and selling these goods should not result in more debts. France’s national debt slightly increased year-over-year up until 2014, most notably between 2008 and 2009.

Additionally, France reported a large trade deficit in 2012, a value almost 5 times larger compared to the previous year, indicating that the country is importing much more than it is exporting. This often leads to higher debts due to a need to borrow more money to produce goods.

France’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) registered one of its lowest growth in 2009 (-2.9 percent). One year after the 2008 financial crisis, France faced economic issues. The unemployment rate in the country went from 7.4 percent in 2008 up to 9.1 percent in 2009. Since then France’s GDP at current prices remained stable, being the second or third largest economy in Europe depending on the year. However, in 2020, during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the gross domestic product decreases by 7.5 percent in volume. By 2022, it had re-increased by 2.6 percent

The evolution of France’s GDP

This graph shows that the real GDP in France reached its highest growth in 2021 with 6.9 percent and its lowest in 2020 with -7.4 percent. Apart from these two years and 2009, France’s GDP growth fluctuated between 0.3 and 3.9 percent. The GDP, which is an economic construct that measures a country’s production, is an important indicator of the economic strength of this country.

Public debt in France

Since 2007, the public debt of France continuously rose reaching 111 percent of the GDP in 2023. France appears to be one of the industrialized countries that borrowed the most abroad and has a public debt higher than the Euro Zone average. In absolute numbers, the country's debt amounted to approximately 3.3 trillion US dollars in 2023.

The ratio of national debt to gross domestic product (GDP) in the Netherlands was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 5.1 percentage points. According to this forecast, in 2029, the ratio will have increased for the fifth consecutive year to 49.34 percent. The general government gross debt consists of all liabilities that require payment or payments of interest and/or principal by the debtor to the creditor at a date or dates in the future. Here it is depicted in relation to the country's GDP, which refers to the total value of goods and services produced during a year.Find more key insights for the ratio of national debt to gross domestic product (GDP) in countries like France, Belgium, and Luxembourg.