Government; balance and maastricht debt, sectors

This table shows data on the balance and Maastricht debt of general government. These figures are also known as EMU-balance and EMU-debt (EMU stands for the Economic and Monetary Union). In this table, yearly and quarterly figures are subdivided to subsectors of general government. Furthermore, this table shows the relation between the government balance and change in Maastricht debt.

Balance and debt are the most import indicators for the healthiness of government finances in the European Union. In the Maastricht treaty and the consequent Stability and Growth Pact, it was decided that government deficit may not exceed 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and Maastricht debt may not be higher than 60 percent of GDP. If government deficit exceeds the threshold of 3 percent, the member state in question shall be subject to the excessive deficit procedure.

The terms and definitions used are in accordance with the framework of the national accounts. The national accounts are based on the international definitions of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). However, Maastricht debt is valued at face value whereas debt instruments in national accounts are valued at market value. Maastricht debt covers the following debt instruments: deposits, short term debt securities, long term debt securities, short term loans and long term loans.

Small temporary differences in data in this table with publications of the national accounts may occur due to the fact that the government finance statistics are sometimes more up to date.

Data available from:
Yearly figures from 1995, quarterly figures from 1999.

Status of the figures:
The figures for the period 1995-2021 are final. The quarterly figures for 2022 are provisional. The annual figures for 2022 are final. The figures for 2023 and 2024 are provisional.

Changes as of 10 April 2025:
Due to an error made while processing the data, the initial preliminary figures for government expenditure in 2024 were calculated incorrectly, which means that the figure published for the general government balance was also incorrect. It concerns a decrease in government expenditure. Therefore, the general government balance is 2.3 billion euros higher than originally reported. This means the government deficit is equivalent to 0.9 percent of GDP, rather than the 1.1 percent published previously. The revision also impacts the transactions in other liabilities that are not part of Maastricht debt.

Changes as of 26 March 2025:
The figures for the fourth quarter of 2024 and annual figures for 2024 are available.
The figures for the first three quarters of 2024 have been adjusted.

When will new figures be published?
Provisional quarterly figures are published three months after the end of the quarter. In September the figures on the first quarter may be revised, in December the figures on the second quarter may be revised and in March the first three quarters may be revised. Yearly figures are published for the first time three months after the end of the year concerned. Yearly figures are revised two times: 6 and 18 months after the end of the year. Please note that there is a possibility that adjustments might take place at the end of March or September, in order to provide the European Commission with the latest figures. Revised yearly figures are published in June each year. Quarterly figures are aligned to revised years at the end of June. More information on the revision policy of Dutch national accounts and government finance statistics can be found under 'relevant articles' under paragraph 3.