Data / Rankings / Government debt / EU countries

EU countries by government debt as a share of GDP

Greece had the highest government debt as a share of GDP of 27 EU countries in 2018, at 189% of GDP. Estonia had the lowest, at 8.5% of GDP. The median was 60.8% of GDP and the figure for the European Union (27) was 79.5% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest189Greece
Lowest8.5Estonia
Median60.827 EU countries
European Union (27)79.5History

All EU countries, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

GreeceGreece: 189 % of GDP189ItalyItaly: 134.2 % of GDP134.2PortugalPortugal: 121.1 % of GDP121.1CyprusCyprus: 100.7 % of GDP100.7BelgiumBelgium: 100.2 % of GDP100.2SpainSpain: 99.8 % of GDP99.8FranceFrance: 98.5 % of GDP98.5AustriaAustria: 74.6 % of GDP74.6CroatiaCroatia: 72.8 % of GDP72.8SloveniaSlovenia: 71 % of GDP71HungaryHungary: 68.8 % of GDP68.8FinlandFinland: 65.4 % of GDP65.4IrelandIreland: 61.3 % of GDP61.3GermanyGermany: 60.8 % of GDP60.8NetherlandsNetherlands: 51.6 % of GDP51.6SlovakiaSlovakia: 49.3 % of GDP49.3PolandPoland: 48.2 % of GDP48.2MaltaMalta: 41.4 % of GDP41.4SwedenSweden: 40.2 % of GDP40.2DenmarkDenmark: 38.5 % of GDP38.5LatviaLatvia: 38.3 % of GDP38.3RomaniaRomania: 34.6 % of GDP34.6LithuaniaLithuania: 33.3 % of GDP33.3CzechiaCzechia: 31.7 % of GDP31.7BulgariaBulgaria: 22.2 % of GDP22.2LuxembourgLuxembourg: 20.9 % of GDP20.9EstoniaEstonia: 8.5 % of GDP8.5
% of GDP. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2018
% of GDP		Change on 2017
1Greece189+6.9 pts
2Italy134.2+0.5 pts
3Portugal121.1-4.9 pts
4Cyprus100.7+4.2 pts
5Belgium100.2-2.4 pts
6Spain99.8-1.4 pts
7France98.5-0.3 pts
8Austria74.6-4.5 pts
9Croatia72.8-3.4 pts
10Slovenia71-3.9 pts
11Hungary68.8-3.2 pts
12Finland65.4-1.2 pts
13Ireland61.3-3.9 pts
14Germany60.8-3.2 pts
15Netherlands51.6-4.4 pts
16Slovakia49.3-2.1 pts
17Poland48.2-2.2 pts
18Malta41.4-4.2 pts
19Sweden40.2-1.7 pts
20Denmark38.5-1.7 pts
21Latvia38.3-2 pts
22Romania34.6-0.7 pts
23Lithuania33.3-5.8 pts
24Czechia31.7-2.1 pts
25Bulgaria22.2-2.9 pts
26Luxembourg20.9-0.9 pts
27Estonia8.5-0.9 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

General government consolidated gross debt (Maastricht definition) as a percentage of GDP.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Government deficit and debt (gov_10dd_edpt1). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/gov_10dd_edpt1/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest government debt as a share of GDP?

Greece, with 189% of GDP in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest government debt as a share of GDP?

Estonia, with 8.5% of GDP in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Government deficit and debt (gov_10dd_edpt1). Retrieved 2026-10-07.

EU countries: more rankings