Debt Clock France

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Follow the real-time evolution of France’s public debt and other key figures of national accounting data: government budget deficit, social spending, public services, foreign trade, state burden and bureaucratic complexity, etc.

Public Debt

France national debt

All borrowings by general government (state, central government agencies, local authorities and social security agencies)

Public debt increases by €6,000 per second (€518 millions dayly). It would take €35 billion in budget surplus every year for a century to pay off the debt.

Public debt/GDP

Public debt-to-GDP ratio in real time

98.2% in 2019. France is the third-most indebted country in the EU, behind Greece (149.7%) and Italy (137.8%). EU average: 81.1%; eurozone average: 88.5%; Germany: 63.5%. France has seen continuous growth in its debt since 2010, when the debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 86.3% —an increase of 30 percentage points over 15 years — while the eurozone average has remained virtually stable.

Public debt/capita

Public debt per inhabitant

Per capita debt increases by €7;53 every day, or €2,750 per year.

DEBT INTEREST PAYMENTS

State expenditure on interest payments on the public debt in 2026
58 billion in 2024. Interest on the debt is greater than the Defense budget (excluding pensions) and represents the second-largest State budget. Estimated amount at end 2025: €67 billion and €69.6 billion in 2027.
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State Budget

public deficit

Projected balance of government expenditure and revenue in 2026
Expected deficit in 2025 of €139 billion (net revenues of €311 billion and net expenditure of €450 billion), following deficits of €168.6 billion in 2024 and €151.7 billion in 2023.

PUBLIC DEFICIT 2024

Balance of government expenditure and revenue
0 .6
billion €
a slippage of 21.7 billion (146.9 billion initially forecast in the Finance Act for 2024)

PUBLIC DEFICIT/GDP
(2024)

Balance of government expenditure and revenue as a percentage of GDP
0 .8%
compared with 4.4% initially forecast. EU average: 3.2%. Eurozone average: 3.1%. Germany: 2.8%. Italy: 3.4%. Greece: surplus of 1.3%; Portugal: surplus of 0.7%.
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Public spending

PUBLIC SPENDING

Expenditure by the State, social security agencies, local authorities and related agencies and bodies

Public spending rose in 2025 to €1,695 billion. (+43 bn € in volume and +70 bn in value compared to 2024). This compares with €1,607.4 billion in 2023.

Social security deficit

Balance of all compulsory basic schemes and FSV in 2026
Projected deficit of €23 billion in 2025 and €24.1 billion in 2028 (after deficits of €15.3 billion in 2024 and €11.1 billion in 2023).

Social security debt

Amount of all social security administration debt (ASSO)

The Social Debt Redemption Fund (Cades), which is due to cease operations in 2033, has been unable to assume the social security debt since 2024, its ceiling having been reached. URSSAF National Fund (ex-Acoss) is now responsible for this task.
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Public Services

EDF debt

Net financial debt of the state-owned national electric utility company Électricité de France (EDF)
0
billion €

Public hospital debt

Total debt of public hospitals (2023)
0 .1
billion €
after 2.4 billion euros in 2023 and 1.3 billion in 2002. Around 75% of public hospitals are in deficit.

SNCF debt

Net debt of the state-owned national railway company SNCF Réseau
0 .8
billion €
€24.2 billion in 2023

PUBLIC PAYMENTS TO SNCF

All public funding (purchases and subsidies) paid to SNCF by the State and regions in 2023
0 .3
billion €
after €20 billion in 2022 and €18.5 billion in 2021.
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Foreign trade

Trade deficit

France’s projected trade balance (exports/imports of goods) in 2026
Deficits of €81 billion in 2024, €90.9 billion in 2023 and €162.6 billion in 2022.

Foreign trade deficit

France’s trade balance (exports/imports of goods and services) in 2024
0 .6
billion €

Current account deficit

France’s trade balance in goods, services and income (including FDI) in 2024
0 .9
billion €
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State burden

Applicable standards

Number of standards in force
0

Normative volume

Number of words in all current standards
0

+93,8% since 2002

COST TO BUSINESS

Estimated annual cost of normative excess
0
billion €

in 2022

BUREAUCRATIC BURDEN

France’s ranking in the World Economic Forum World Outlook
0

in 2021
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