Afrasianet - Public debt in 16 EU member states reached record levels during the first quarter of 2026, data from the European statistical office Eurostat showed.
According to the data, the total public debt of the 27 member states of the European Union increased by 327.3 billion euros ($373.1 billion) during the first quarter of the year, reaching 15.705 trillion euros, the highest level recorded in modern history, noting that Eurostat has been publishing this data since 1994.
France recorded the highest level of public debt, after its liabilities increased by 75.6 billion euros compared to the previous quarter, reaching a record level of 3.536 trillion euros.
Italy came in second, with its public debt rising to a historic level of €3.158 trillion, compared to €3.096 trillion in the previous quarter.
Germany came in third, with its public debt rising to 2.902 trillion euros, compared to 2.838 trillion euros in the previous quarter.
Public debt has also reached record levels in a number of other European countries, with Spain reaching €1.74 trillion, Belgium €706.581 billion, Austria €431.411 billion, Finland €255.139 billion, and Romania €229.427 billion.
In Hungary 179.199 billion euros, in Slovakia 86.803 billion euros, in Croatia 55.216 billion euros, in Lithuania 36.26 billion euros, in Luxembourg 26.402 billion euros, in Latvia 20.436 billion euros, in Malta 11.458 billion euros, and in Estonia 10.646 billion euros.
