Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in France
France: Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans was 116.25 Percentage of GDP in 2026. ▲ Rising
Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in France, 2000–2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
In 2026, government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in France stood at 116.25 Percentage of GDP. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in France peaked at 116.25 Percentage of GDP in 2026 and was at its lowest, 56.58 Percentage of GDP, in 2001.
That places France 5th out of 25 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in France, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 57.5 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 2001 | 56.58 Percentage of GDP | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 58.13 Percentage of GDP | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 61.74 Percentage of GDP | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 65.08 Percentage of GDP | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 66.81 Percentage of GDP | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 67.1 Percentage of GDP | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 65.44 Percentage of GDP | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 65.98 Percentage of GDP | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 73.38 Percentage of GDP | +11.2% |
| 2010 | 84.67 Percentage of GDP | +15.4% |
| 2011 | 85.9 Percentage of GDP | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 89.32 Percentage of GDP | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 91.53 Percentage of GDP | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 94.47 Percentage of GDP | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 96.41 Percentage of GDP | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 97.27 Percentage of GDP | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 99 Percentage of GDP | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 97.66 Percentage of GDP | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 97.8 Percentage of GDP | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 99.46 Percentage of GDP | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 115.92 Percentage of GDP | +16.6% |
| 2022 | 112.65 Percentage of GDP | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 110.47 Percentage of GDP | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 108.92 Percentage of GDP | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 112.28 Percentage of GDP | +3.1% |
| 2026 | 116.25 Percentage of GDP | +3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 63.77 Percentage of GDP | 56.58 Percentage of GDP | 73.38 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.4 Percentage of GDP | 84.67 Percentage of GDP | 99 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 110.85 Percentage of GDP | 99.46 Percentage of GDP | 116.25 Percentage of GDP | 7 |
Countries ranked near France
- 2 Poland 61.24 Percentage of GDP compare
- 2 Greece 140.51 Percentage of GDP compare
- 3 Italy 130.12 Percentage of GDP compare
- 3 Latvia 45.53 Percentage of GDP compare
- 4 United States 117.01 Percentage of GDP compare
- 4 Netherlands 43.64 Percentage of GDP compare
- 5 Lithuania 42.01 Percentage of GDP compare
- 6 Belgium 108.88 Percentage of GDP compare
- 6 Estonia 25.11 Percentage of GDP compare
- 7 Türkiye 24.2 Percentage of GDP compare
- 7 Spain 101.29 Percentage of GDP compare
- 8 Canada 95.08 Percentage of GDP compare
More economy & growth data for France
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.18 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.34 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 6.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.8903 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 43,613 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 1.58 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7879 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 38,596 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 0.677 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.7298 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in France?
- Government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in France was 116.25 Percentage of GDP in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 116.25 Percentage of GDP in 2026.
- What is the lowest government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.58 Percentage of GDP in 2001.
- How does France rank for government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans?
- France ranks 5th out of 25 countries with data for 2026.
- Is government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The magnitude of government debt and debt-to-GDP ratios varies depending on which measure of debt is used. To promote international comparability, the IMF, the OECD and the World Bank have agreed on a set of standard debt measures, which are defined in the Public Sector Debt Statistics Guide for Compilers and Users and the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014. Government gross debt is shown in four categories: D1 to D4. D1 is the narrowest measure, comprising only two financial instruments: debt securities and loans. D4 (‘total gross debt’) is the broadest measure and includes debt securities, loans, Special Drawing Rights, currency and deposits, other accounts payable and insurance, pensions and standardised guarantees. The D1 to D3 measures are comparable between OECD countries. D4 is the preferred measure of debt in the international accounting standards (System of National Accounts or SNA) but cross-country comparability is more difficult for D4 because countries have different approaches to recording unfunded pension liabilities for government employees. For more information, please see the document: Measuring Government Debt: D1-D4