Government; Balance and Maastricht debt, sectors

Government; Balance and Maastricht debt, sectors

Institutional sectors Periods Balance and Maastricht debt (% of GDP) Balance (% of GDP) Balance and Maastricht debt (% of GDP) Maastricht debt (% of GDP) Balance and Maastricht debt (% of GDP) Contribution to general government debt (% of GDP)
General government 2023* -0.3 46.5 46.5
Central government 2023* -2.3 48.3 47.2
The State 2023* -2.3 49.1 47.6
Other central government 2023* 0.0 0.7 -0.3
Local government 2023* 0.1 5.2 2.6
Municipalities 2023* 0.1 3.8 2.9
Local intergovernmental organisations 2023* 0.0 0.3 -0.1
Provinces 2023* 0.0 0.1 -0.9
Public water boards 2023* -0.1 0.9 0.8
Other local government 2023* 0.1 0.8 -0.1
Social security funds 2023* 1.8 0.9 -3.4
Source: CBS.
Explanation of symbols

Dataset is not available.


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 1995-2020 are final. The quarterly figures for 2021 are provisional. The annual figures for 2021 are final. The figures for 2022 and 2023 are provisional.

Changes as of 25 March 2024:
Figures on the fourth quarter of 2023 and annual figures on 2023 are available.
The figures for the first three quarters of 2023 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.

Description topics

Balance and Maastricht debt (% of GDP)
Balance and consolidated debt (valued at face value) excluding other accounts payable and debt on financial derivatives, in percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).

Balance of revenue and expenditure of the government sector. In national accounts it equals net lending/net borrowing of the government sector.

Government debt is consolidated, which means that debt in the same sector has been eliminated.
Balance
Balance of revenue and expenditure of the government sector. A positive figure indicates a surplus, a negative figure indicates a deficit. In national accounts it equals net lending/net borrowing of the government sector.

The gross domestic product (market value) is the result of the productive activities of residential production units. It equals the added value (basic prices) of all industries, completed with some transactions that cannot be attributed to industries.

Quarterly balance of the general government sector as a percentage of GDP is a progressive yearly total. It is calculated as the sum of the balance of the quarter considered plus three preceding quarters, divided by the sum of GDP of the quarter considered plus three preceding quarters. The figure for the fourth quarter equals the yearly figure.
Maastricht debt
Consolidated debt of the government sector (valued at face value) excluding other accounts payable and debt on financial derivatives. Consolidated means that debt in the same sector has been eliminated.

The gross domestic product (market value) is the result of the productive activities of residential production units. It equals the added value (basic prices) of all industries, completed with some transactions that cannot be attributed to industries.

Quarterly government debt as a percentage of GDP is calculated as the debt at the end of the quarter divided by the sum of GDP of the quarter considered plus three preceding quarters. The figure for the fourth quarter equals the yearly figure.
Contribution to general government debt
The consolidated debt of the government sector (valued at face value) excluding other accounts payable and debt on financial derivatives. The contribution to general government Maastricht debt of a subsector is calculated by subtracting claims on other government subsector from its debt to all subsectors. In this way, the presented debt figures of government subsectors add up to general government Maastricht debt. A negative number means the government subsector concerned has a net claim on other government subsectors. Hence, the other government sectors contribute more to government debt.

The gross domestic product (market value) is the result of the productive activities of residential production units. It equals the added value (basic prices) of all industries, completed with some transactions that cannot be attributed to industries.

Quarterly contribution to general government Maastricht debt government debt as a percentage of GDP is calculated as the (contribution to) debt at the end of the quarter divided by the sum of GDP of the quarter considered plus three preceding quarters. The figure for the fourth quarter equals the yearly figure.