Government finance
General government finance statistics cast light on the use of state funds.
In Estonia, the general government sector is divided into three:
- central government comprising state budget units and extra-budgetary funds, foundations and legal entities governed by public law;
- local governments, i.e. city and rural municipality administrations with their subsidiary units;
- social security funds: Estonian Health Insurance Fund and Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.
General government finance statistics cover general government financial indicators, such as tax receipts, general government revenue, expenditure and debt.
The statistics provide information on:
- how much taxes are paid into the state budget and local budgets;
- what is the budget surplus and deficit of the central government, local governments and social insurance funds;
- how much the general government has borrowed and how much of this is external debt.
Both public institutions and enterprises need finance statistics. The data are mainly used for making projections and operational planning. Changes in tax receipts also reflect what is happening in the economy in general.
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General government consolidated debt, million euros | 5,319.9 | 5,793.8 | 6,965.0 | 7,707.7 | 9,326.9 |
| Share of general government consolidated debt in gross domestic product, % | 19.1 | 18.4 | 19.1 | 20.2 | 23.6 |
| General government consolidated surplus/deficit, million euros | -1,511.0 | -808.2 | -391.5 | -1,198.6 | -601.4 |
| Share of general government consolidated surplus/deficit in gross domestic product, % | -5.4 | -2.6 | -1.1 | -3.1 | -1.5 |
General government debt continued to grow in 2024, while the budget deficit decreased
According to the preliminary data of Statistics Estonia, in 2024, the Estonian general government deficit was 1.7% and the debt level was 23.6% of the gross domestic product (GDP). At the end of last year, the total expenditures of the general government exceeded revenues by 665.7 million euros.