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.

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

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.

Greece Central Government Debt: Annual data was reported at 328,703.840 EUR mn in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 326,358.140 EUR mn for 2016. Greece Central Government Debt: Annual data is updated yearly, averaging 239,364.000 EUR mn from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2017, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 367,978.000 EUR mn in 2011 and a record low of 114,570.800 EUR mn in 1997. Greece Central Government Debt: Annual data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Greece – Table GR.F009: Central Government Debt.

External Debt in Greece increased to 582882 EUR Million in the second quarter of 2025 from 581039.80 EUR Million in the first quarter of 2025. 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.

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.

Greece Central Government Debt: Other Currencies data was reported at 7,759.550 EUR mn in Sep 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8,187.360 EUR mn for Jun 2018. Greece Central Government Debt: Other Currencies data is updated quarterly, averaging 8,181.235 EUR mn from Jun 2005 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15,084.070 EUR mn in Jun 2014 and a record low of 1,249.360 EUR mn in Sep 2009. Greece Central Government Debt: Other Currencies data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Greece – Table GR.F009: Central Government Debt.

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.

In September 2024, the national debt of the United States had risen up to 35.46 trillion U.S. dollars. The national debt per capita had risen to 85,552 U.S. dollars in 2021. As represented by the statistic above, the public debt of the United States has been continuously rising. U.S. public debt Public debt, also known as national and governmental debt, is the debt owed by a nations’ central government. In the case of the U.S., national debt is owed by the federal government to Treasury security holders. Generally speaking, government debt increases with government spending, and can be decreased through taxes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government increased spending significantly to finance virus infrastructure, aid, and various forms of economic relief. International public debt Venezuela leads the global ranking of the 20 countries with the highest public debt in 2021. In relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Venezuela's public debt amounted to around 306.95 percent of GDP. Eritrea was ranked fifth, with an estimated debt of 170 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The national debt of the United Kingdom is forecasted to grow from 87 percent in 2022 to 70 percent in 2027, in relation to the Gross Domestic Product. These figures include England, Wales, Scotland as well as Northern Ireland. Greece had the highest national debt among EU countries as of the 4th quarter of 2020 in relation to the Gross Domestic Product. Germany ranked 13th in the EU, with its national debt amounting to 69 percent of GDP in the same time period. Tuvalu was one of the 20 countries with the lowest national debt in 2021 in relation to the GDP, while Macao had an estimated level of national debt of zero percent, the lowest of any country. The data refer to the debts of the entire state, including the central government, the provinces, municipalities, local authorities and social insurance.

Greece Central Government Debt: ow Guaranteed data was reported at 10,557.100 EUR mn in Sep 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 10,600.040 EUR mn for Jun 2018. Greece Central Government Debt: ow Guaranteed data is updated quarterly, averaging 16,508.150 EUR mn from Dec 2001 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 68 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 25,667.900 EUR mn in Sep 2009 and a record low of 7,808.800 EUR mn in Mar 2002. Greece Central Government Debt: ow Guaranteed data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Greece – Table GR.F009: Central Government Debt.

Greece Central Government Debt: Up to 1 Year data was reported at 46,220.900 EUR mn in Sep 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 45,516.900 EUR mn for Jun 2018. Greece Central Government Debt: Up to 1 Year data is updated quarterly, averaging 37,651.121 EUR mn from Dec 2014 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 46,220.900 EUR mn in Sep 2018 and a record low of 31,769.900 EUR mn in Mar 2016. Greece Central Government Debt: Up to 1 Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Greece – Table GR.F009: Central Government Debt.

Greece Central Government Debt: 1 to 5 Years data was reported at 33,636.500 EUR mn in Sep 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 37,302.200 EUR mn for Jun 2018. Greece Central Government Debt: 1 to 5 Years data is updated quarterly, averaging 33,154.800 EUR mn from Dec 2014 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 38,500.100 EUR mn in Mar 2018 and a record low of 27,184.900 EUR mn in Sep 2016. Greece Central Government Debt: 1 to 5 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Greece – Table GR.F009: Central Government Debt.

Greece Government Debt - Historical chart and current data through 2023.

Greece Central Government Debt: Over 5 Years data was reported at 276,176.700 EUR mn in Sep 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 262,560.330 EUR mn for Jun 2018. Greece Central Government Debt: Over 5 Years data is updated quarterly, averaging 259,357.015 EUR mn from Dec 2014 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 276,176.700 EUR mn in Sep 2018 and a record low of 235,995.300 EUR mn in Jun 2015. Greece Central Government Debt: Over 5 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Greece – Table GR.F009: Central Government Debt.