Germany
Government finance and cost-of-living data from Eurostat — spending, debt, tax, and comparative prices.
Headline stats
Debt peaked at 81% GDP in 2010 — now 63.5%.
Government debt
63.5% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 81.7% GDP (2025)
Govt expenditure
49.4% GDP
2024
Budget deficit
2.7% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 3.1% GDP (2025)
Tax revenue
10.3% GDP
2024
Public sector jobs
12,176k
2024
Tax rates
What Germany takes — statutory rates and effective burden on workers.
Labour tax wedge
37% of labour cost
2025
Top income tax rate
45%
2024
Corporate tax rate
29.9%
2024
Standard VAT rate
19%
2024
Labour tax wedge: effective % of gross labour cost (salary + employer contributions) going to income tax and social contributions for a single person at average wage. Source: Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate. Statutory rates: OECD Taxing Wages 2024 / EC Taxation Trends 2024.
Comparative prices
Germany is 11.7% more expensive than the EU average overall (2024). Index: EU27 = 100.
| Category | Price index | vs EU avg |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level | 111.7 | +11.7% |
| Food & non-alcoholic drinks | 102.7 | +2.7% |
| Housing, utilities & energy | 113.1 | +13.1% |
| Restaurants & hotels | 112.1 | +12.1% |
| Transport | 109.7 | +9.7% |
| Health | 111.9 | +11.9% |
| Education | 122.0 | +22.0% |
| Clothing & footwear | 101.2 | +1.2% |
| Recreation & culture | 107.0 | +7.0% |
| Alcohol & tobacco | 99.6 | -0.4% |
| Household furnishings | 107.1 | +7.1% |
| Communication | 136.0 | +36.0% |
| Miscellaneous | 104.0 | +4.0% |
Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind. EU27_2020 = 100. Green = cheaper than EU average.
Government debt since 2011
| Year | Debt (% GDP) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 78.5 | — |
| 2012 | 79.8 | +1.3 |
| 2013 | 77.5 | -2.3 |
| 2014 | 74.5 | -3 |
| 2015 | 71.2 | -3.3 |
| 2016 | 68.3 | -2.9 |
| 2017 | 64 | -4.3 |
| 2018 | 60.8 | -3.2 |
| 2019 | 58.7 | -2.1 |
| 2020 | 68 | +9.3 |
| 2021 | 67.9 | -0.1 |
| 2022 | 64.4 | -3.5 |
| 2023 | 62.3 | -2.1 |
| 2024 | 62.2 | -0.1 |
| 2025 | 63.5 | +1.3 |
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Data sources
| Dataset | Source | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Govt expenditure / debt / deficit | Eurostat gov_10dd_edpt1 | 1995–2025 |
| Tax revenue | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 1995–2025 |
| Public employment (NACE O-Q) | Eurostat nama_10_a64_e | 1995–2024 |
| Tax breakdown (VAT, income, social) | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 2000–2023 |
| Labour tax wedge | Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate | 2000–2023 |
| Statutory tax rates (income, corporate, VAT) | OECD / EC Taxation Trends 2024 | 2024 |
| Comparative price levels (13 categories) | Eurostat prc_ppp_ind | 1995–2024 |