(27 June 2018) – Significant differences can be observed across the European Union regarding the sector in which government debt is held.
Among Member States for which data are available, the share of public debt held by non-residents in 2017 was highest in Cyprus (82%), followed by Lithuania (73%), Latvia (68%), Finland, Austria and Slovenia (all 67%).
In contrast, the largest proportion of debt held by the (resident) financial corporations sector was recorded in Sweden and Denmark (both 69%), ahead of the Netherlands, Malta and Italy (all 62%).
Generally across the EU, less than 10% of debt was held by the resident non-financial sectors (non-financial corporations, households and non-profit institutions serving households), with the noticeable exceptions of Malta (26%), Hungary (20%), Portugal (13%) and Ireland (11%).