In 2016, the lowest government deficits as a percentage of GDP were recorded in Ireland (-0.6%), Croatia (-0.8%) and Denmark (-0.9%). Four member states had deficits equal to or higher than 3% of GDP: Spain (-4.5%), France (-3.4%), Romania and the United Kingdom (both -3.0%).
A government surplus was registered by Luxembourg (+1.6%), Malta (+1.0%), Sweden (+0.9%), Germany (+0.8%), Greece (+0.7%), the Czech Republic (+0.6%), Cyprus and the Netherlands (both +0.4%), Estonia and Lithuania (both +0.3%), while Bulgaria and Latvia reported a government balance.
With government debt of 84.2% of GDP in 2016, Croatia was among 16 member states with government debt ratios exceeding 60% of GDP.
The highest ratios of government debt to GDP were recorded in Greece (179.0%), Italy (132.6%), Portugal (130.4%), Cyprus (107.8%) and Belgium (105.9%), while the lowest were registered in Estonia (9.5%), Luxembourg (20.0%), Bulgaria (29.5%), the Czech Republic (37.2%), Romania (37.6%) and Denmark (37.8%).
In 2016, the government deficit and debt of both the 28-member EU and the 19-member euro area decreased in relative terms compared with 2015.
In the EU28 the government deficit to GDP ratio fell from 2.4% in 2015 to 1.7% in 2016 and the government debt to GDP ratio from 84.9% to 83.5%. In the euro area the government deficit to GDP ratio fell from 2.1% to 1.5% and the government debt to GDP ratio from 90.3% to 89.2%.