Stats: Public Deficit Falls to 4.45% of GDP in 2025

Bratislava, 21 April (TASR) - The public administration 2025 deficit reached €6.09 billion in 2025, representing 4.45 percent of GDP, which means that, compared with 2024, the deficit decreased by €876 million, when it stood at €6.96 billion or 5.35 percent of GDP (after revision), the Statistics Office reported on Tuesday. The overall outcome was supported by a higher surplus in social security funds, which reached €931 million. The current surplus of these funds was significantly higher than in previous years. The approved state budget for 2025 had planned a deficit of 4.7 percent of GDP. The public administration accounted for the vast majority of last year's deficit. Its budget ended with a deficit of €6.93 billion, down by €278 million compared with 2024, when it recorded a deficit of €7.21 billion. Local authorities posted a deficit of nearly €86 million last year, a slightly improved result compared with 2024, when the deficit reached €101.9 million. Public administration debt in 2025 amounted to €83.96 billion euros, corresponding to 61.39 percent of GDP. The debt increased year-on-year by €6.22 billion. In 2024, debt stood at €77.73 billion, or 59.70 percent of GDP. Over three years (compared with 2022), total debt rose by €20.4 billion. In spring, the Statistics Office is presenting preliminary data on state finances for 2025 for the first time. At the same time, figures for 2022–2024 are being refined. The published values for 2026 represent the current estimate of the deficit and debt by the Finance Ministry, based on the approved public administration budget. For 2024, compared with the report from October 2025, the public administration deficit was reduced by nearly €195 million, adjusting its share of GDP from 5.50 percent to 5.35 percent. This reflected the inclusion of more precise data related to current taxes, payments of so-called energy aid, and additional information on improved financial performance of two reporting units. Data for 2023 were also revised, with the deficit increasing slightly by €14.3 million due to adjustments in paid "energy aid", including related refunds, recorded in line with the accrual principle — in the period when the expenditures were incurred. mf