France’s public debt, live
On 31 December 2025, France’s public debt stood at €3,460.5 billion, or 115.6% of GDP. Here is the real-time estimate.
Real-time estimate — a linear projection from the last INSEE debt figure and the expected deficit. Not an official second-by-second reading.
- ~4,832 €per second
- ~417,522,245 €per day
- ~50,093 €per resident
- 115.6 %of GDP
How big is France’s public debt?
According to INSEE, France’s Maastricht public debt reached €3,460.5 billion at the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, a record in absolute terms. Measured against one year of output, it amounts to 115.6% of gross domestic product — far above the EU’s 60% threshold and the euro-area average (around 88%).
How fast does the debt grow per second?
The counter’s speed comes from the public deficit: in 2025, the state and public bodies spent €152.5 billion more than they collected (5.1% of GDP). Spread over the year, that is about €4,832 every second, nearly €417,522,245 a day. As long as the budget runs a deficit, the debt mechanically grows.
Debt per person
On 1 January 2026, France had 69.1 million residents. Spread across that population, the public debt is about €50,093 per person — newborns and retirees included. It does not mean each person owes that amount: the debt is carried by the state, not by households. But it gives a telling order of magnitude.
How the debt has evolved
The debt-to-GDP ratio has risen without interruption since the pandemic:
| Year-end | Debt / GDP |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 109.5% |
| 2024 | 112.6% |
| 2025 | 115.6% |
Debt servicing: what the interest costs
What this counter does not show is the real cost of the debt: servicing it — the interest paid to creditors each year — is around €60 billion in 2025 and would top €70 billion in 2026, as cheap old loans are refinanced at higher rates. From 2026, according to the French Senate, this charge weighs more than the defence budget. At Kero, we look at what that money no longer funds: health, education, development aid.
How is this counter calculated?
The counter starts from the latest INSEE debt figure (€3,460.5 billion on 31 December 2025) and adds, second by second, a fraction of the annual public deficit (€152.5 billion). It is a linear projection: it assumes a constant pace of borrowing, which is not what happens in reality (debt moves in steps, with bond issues and repayments). So the counter is an educational order of magnitude, not an accounting statement. Figures are updated at each INSEE quarterly release.
Frequently asked questions
- How big is France’s public debt in 2026?
- At the end of 2025, France’s public debt reached €3,460.5 billion, or 115.6% of GDP (INSEE). The counter projects it continuously from the expected deficit.
- How fast does France’s debt grow per second?
- With a public deficit of €152.5 billion in 2025, the debt rises by about €4,832 per second, close to €417,522,245 a day.
- What is France’s debt per person?
- Spread across 69.1 million residents (1 January 2026), the debt is roughly €50,093 per person.
- How much does the debt interest cost?
- Debt servicing is around €60 billion in 2025 and would exceed €70 billion in 2026. From 2026, it weighs more than the defence budget (French Senate).
- Is this counter an official figure?
- No. It is an estimate: a linear projection between the last debt figure published by INSEE and the expected deficit. The exact amount is only known afterwards, each quarter.
Read more: the cost of debt interest · where the state budget goes
Sources: INSEE — debt and deficit 2025, INSEE — population 2026, French Senate — 2026 budget bill. Counter updated at each quarterly release.