At the end third quarter of 2016, the government debt to GDP ratio stood at 90.1% in the Eurozone, compared to 91.2% in the previous quarter, according to data published by the statistical office of the EU (Eurostat) on Monday 23 January. After Greece, this ratio is now highest in Portugal.
Unsurprisingly, the highest government debt/GDP ratios were recorded in Greece (176.9%, or a drop of 2.9%), Portugal (133.4%, or an increase of 1.6%) and Italy (132.7%, or a fall of 2.8%). Compared to the production of wealth, government debt remains high in Belgium (108.8%), Spain (100.3%) and France (97.5%). It is under control in Germany (69.4%). The lowest ratios were observed in Estonia (9.6%), Luxembourg (21.5%) and Bulgaria (28.7%).
In the European Union as a whole, the government debt/GDP ratio also fell, from 84.2% to 83.3%.
At the end of the third quarter of 2016, credit instruments represented 79.7% of the government debt of the Eurozone, lending represented 17.3% and currency and deposits represented 3.0%. The share in GDP of inter-government loans granted in the framework of bailout plans stood at 2.2% in the Eurozone and at 1.6% in the EU. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)