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 2023, at 164.3% of GDP. Estonia had the lowest, at 20.2% of GDP. The median was 55.8% of GDP and the figure for the European Union (27) was 80.5% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest164.3Greece
Lowest20.2Estonia
Median55.827 EU countries
European Union (27)80.5History

All EU countries, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

GreeceGreece: 164.3 % of GDP164.3ItalyItaly: 133.9 % of GDP133.9FranceFrance: 109.5 % of GDP109.5SpainSpain: 105.2 % of GDP105.2BelgiumBelgium: 102.5 % of GDP102.5PortugalPortugal: 96.9 % of GDP96.9AustriaAustria: 77.8 % of GDP77.8FinlandFinland: 77 % of GDP77HungaryHungary: 73.3 % of GDP73.3CyprusCyprus: 71.1 % of GDP71.1SloveniaSlovenia: 68.3 % of GDP68.3GermanyGermany: 62.3 % of GDP62.3CroatiaCroatia: 60.9 % of GDP60.9SlovakiaSlovakia: 55.8 % of GDP55.8PolandPoland: 49.5 % of GDP49.5RomaniaRomania: 49.3 % of GDP49.3MaltaMalta: 46.9 % of GDP46.9NetherlandsNetherlands: 45.8 % of GDP45.8LatviaLatvia: 44.4 % of GDP44.4CzechiaCzechia: 42.2 % of GDP42.2IrelandIreland: 41.8 % of GDP41.8LithuaniaLithuania: 37.1 % of GDP37.1DenmarkDenmark: 33 % of GDP33SwedenSweden: 32.2 % of GDP32.2LuxembourgLuxembourg: 24.7 % of GDP24.7BulgariaBulgaria: 22.9 % of GDP22.9EstoniaEstonia: 20.2 % of GDP20.2
% of GDP. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2023
% of GDP		Change on 2022
1Greece164.3-13.5 pts
2Italy133.9-4.5 pts
3France109.5-1.9 pts
4Spain105.2-4.1 pts
5Belgium102.5-0.8 pts
6Portugal96.9-14.3 pts
7Austria77.8-0.3 pts
8Finland77+3 pts
9Hungary73.3-0.8 pts
10Cyprus71.1-9 pts
11Slovenia68.3-4.5 pts
12Germany62.3-2.1 pts
13Croatia60.9-7.6 pts
14Slovakia55.8-2 pts
15Poland49.5+0.7 pts
16Romania49.3+1.2 pts
17Malta46.9-3.4 pts
18Netherlands45.8-2.6 pts
19Latvia44.40 pts
20Czechia42.2-0.3 pts
21Ireland41.8-1.2 pts
22Lithuania37.1-1.2 pts
23Denmark33-0.3 pts
24Sweden32.2-2.2 pts
25Luxembourg24.7-0.2 pts
26Bulgaria22.9+0.4 pts
27Estonia20.2+1 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 164.3% of GDP in 2023, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Estonia, with 20.2% of GDP in 2023.

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