Graph and download economic data for General government gross debt for Greece (GGGDTAGRC188N) from 1980 to 2023 about Greece, gross, debt, and government.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Central government debt, total (% of GDP) for Greece (DEBTTLGRA188A) from 1997 to 2023 about Greece, debt, government, and GDP.

External Debt in Greece increased to 567734.73 EUR Million in the first quarter of 2025 from 562865.64 EUR Million in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Greece External Debt - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Greece: Government debt as percent of GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 161.9 percent, a decline from 172.7 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 61.85 percent, based on data from 137 countries. Historically, the average for Greece from 1995 to 2023 is 139.69 percent. The minimum value, 97.4 percent, was reached in 1998 while the maximum of 207 percent was recorded in 2020.

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.

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 Greece from 2011 to 2017. The largest change in this period occurred in 2012 when there was a decline of -26.8 percent.

Greece GR: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government: Debt Securities: Market Value data was reported at 26.448 % in Dec 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 27.264 % for Sep 2018. Greece GR: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government: Debt Securities: Market Value data is updated quarterly, averaging 74.841 % from Dec 1997 (Median) to Dec 2018, with 85 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 115.049 % in Sep 2009 and a record low of 17.397 % in Jun 2012. Greece GR: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government: Debt Securities: Market Value data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Greece – Table GR.World Bank.QPSD: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: General Government.

Historical dataset showing Greece national debt by year from 1997 to 2023.

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.

This line chart displays central government debt (% of GDP) by date using the aggregation average, weighted by gdp in Greece. The data is about countries per year.

Greece GR: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: Central Government: Debt Securities, Loans, SDRs, Currency and Deposits data was reported at 190.179 % in Sep 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 185.823 % for Jun 2018. Greece GR: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: Central Government: Debt Securities, Loans, SDRs, Currency and Deposits data is updated quarterly, averaging 116.417 % from Dec 1995 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 92 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 190.179 % in Sep 2018 and a record low of 0.000 % in Dec 1999. Greece GR: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: Central Government: Debt Securities, Loans, SDRs, Currency and Deposits data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Greece – Table GR.World Bank.QPSD: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: Central Government.

Greece GR: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: Central Government: Debt Securities: Market Value data was reported at 30.443 % in Dec 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 30.927 % for Sep 2018. Greece GR: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: Central Government: Debt Securities: Market Value data is updated quarterly, averaging 86.015 % from Dec 1997 (Median) to Dec 2018, with 85 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 127.311 % in Sep 2009 and a record low of 18.992 % in Jun 2012. Greece GR: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: Central Government: Debt Securities: Market Value data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Greece – Table GR.World Bank.QPSD: Gross Public Debt: % of GDP: Central Government.

This bar chart displays central government debt (% of GDP) by capital city using the aggregation average, weighted by gdp in Greece. The data is about countries per year.