Financial statistics: Public deficit again at more than 100 billion euros

The public financing deficit has grown again last year to a three -digit billion -dollar amount. The minus was added to the core and extra-keeping of the federal government, countries, communities and social insurance, as reported to the Federal Statistical Office. It rose by 12.7 billion euros in the previous year.

In 2023, the shortfall was EUR 91.7 billion after it had dropped steadily in previous years from 189.2 billion euros in 2020. Since 2021, the federal government has by far the largest proportion of the total deficit, explains the Federal Office. Last year, however, there were considerable deficits among the federal states, the municipalities and social security, which together would have exceeded the federal government.

For the first time

In total, in 2024 the income of EUR 1,977.6 billion in the public budget could not have covered the expenditure of 2,082.1 billion euros – the latter had grown to two trillion euros for the first time, as the Federal Office said.

Development on the different levels was different: the income in the previous year grew more than the expenses in the federal government, and the situation was said to be reversed in the federal states and municipalities. This was particularly clear among the communities and municipal associations: the income here rose by 7.6 percent, but the expenditure load grew by 12.6 percent.

The Federal Office mentions higher social expenditure as a reason for the development, which primarily concerned the municipalities, but also the federal government. At the BUND at the end of March 2024, the expenditure for allocations to companies and private households for aids granted during the energy crisis were granted. At this level, the statistics also show a strong increase in ongoing material expenditure from military procurements.

With a deficit of 50.9 billion euros last year, a declining trend was recognizable at the federal government, the Federal Office announced: During the Corona years, a record minus of 145.1 billion euros had been raised here in 2022, which had already dropped to 87.6 billion euros in 2023.

The financing deficit of the municipalities and municipal associations, on the other hand, grew significantly from 6.6 billion euros to 24.8 billion euros. The situation of the federal states is different, the statisticians explained. Only Lower Saxony, Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate had completed with an excess. The shortage of social security of 10.5 billion euros is due to nursing and pension insurance and in particular health insurance.