24/01/2020 (Agence Europe) – At the end of the third quarter of 2019, the government debt-to-GDP ratio averaged 86.1% in the euro area, compared with 86.4% at the end of the second quarter. In the European Union, the ratio also decreased from 80.4% to 80.1% of GDP. Debt securities accounted for 80.8% of government debt in the euro area (81.6% of that of the EU), loans for 15.5% and 13.6% respectively, and currency and deposits for 3.8% and 4.8%. The highest government debt ratios were recorded in Greece (178.2%), Italy (137.3%), Portugal (120.5%), Belgium (102.3%) and France (100.5%), while Estonia (9.2%), Luxembourg (20.2%) and Bulgaria (20.6%) recorded the lowest. (MB)