Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) - Country Ranking - Europe

Definition: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad.

Source: International Monetary Fund, Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files.

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Norway 7.09 2019
2 Denmark 3.61 2019
3 Belarus 2.44 2019
4 Bulgaria 2.04 2019
5 Luxembourg 2.00 2019
6 Netherlands 1.88 2019
7 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.78 2019
8 Greece 1.48 2019
9 Sweden 1.37 2019
10 Cyprus 1.34 2019
11 Switzerland 0.92 2019
12 Germany 0.90 2019
13 Croatia 0.76 2019
14 Ireland 0.62 2019
15 Slovenia 0.58 2019
16 Austria 0.50 2019
17 Malta 0.43 2019
18 Finland 0.25 2019
19 Serbia 0.20 2019
20 Lithuania 0.19 2019
21 Estonia 0.17 2019
22 Portugal -0.19 2019
23 Czech Republic -0.38 2019
24 Poland -0.49 2019
25 Iceland -0.91 2019
26 Moldova -1.34 2019
27 Albania -1.44 2019
28 Slovak Republic -1.50 2019
29 Italy -1.64 2019
30 Latvia -1.68 2019
31 Ukraine -1.72 2019
32 Belgium -1.73 2019
33 United Kingdom -1.86 2019
34 North Macedonia -1.97 2019
35 Hungary -1.98 2019
36 San Marino -2.54 2019
37 Spain -2.59 2019
38 France -2.96 2019
39 Romania -4.22 2019
40 Turkey -4.54 2020

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Limitations and Exceptions: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Despite IMF efforts to standardize data collection, statistics are often incomplete, untimely, and not comparable across countries.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The IMF's Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014, harmonized with the 2008 SNA, recommends an accrual accounting method, focusing on all economic events affecting assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, not just those represented by cash transactions. It accounts for all changes in stocks, so stock data at the end of an accounting period equal stock data at the beginning of the period plus flows over the period. The 1986 manual considered only debt stocks. Government finance statistics are reported in local currency. Many countries report government finance data by fiscal year; see country metadata for information on fiscal year end by country.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual