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For more information on this release:
E-mail: gfs@cso.ie Tom.Fitzgerald@cso.ie Derek.Stynes@cso.ie
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CSO statistical release, , 11am

Government Finance Statistics Annual - Provisional Estimates

2016 to 2019 (October 2020 Provisional Results)

 General Government
 BalanceGross DebtNet Debt
Year€bn% GDP€bn% GDP€bn% GDP
2016-1.8-0.7200.674.1176.665.2
2017-1.0-0.3201.267.0175.758.5
20180.40.1205.963.0177.354.2
20191.90.5204.257.4175.849.4

General Government surplus of 0.5% of GDP in 2019

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Provisional data for 2019 shows a general government surplus of €1.9 billion (0.5% of GDP / 0.9% of GNI*).  In 2019 revenue increased by €5.0 billion while expenditure increased by €3.5 billion resulting in an improvement of €1.5 billion over the 2018 surplus - see Table 1.  2019 saw increases in both government revenue (5.9%) and expenditure (4.2%).

Government debt falls to 57.4% of GDP in 2019

Provisional data indicates that general government gross debt (GG Debt) stood at €204.2 billion at the end of 2019 (57.4% of GDP / 95.6% of GNI*) compared with the 2018 figure of €205.9 billion (63.0% of GDP / 103.6% of GNI*). 

These annual results are provisional as the data is subject to a clarification process by Eurostat as part of Excessive Deficit Procedure reporting requirements. This process is due to be completed by 16 October 2020.  It is envisaged that the detailed release and tables will be published by the CSO no later than 21 October 2020. The CSO Statbank is not updated with this provisional data. It will be updated when the detailed release and tables are published.

The changes to the previously published tables under the EDP in April 2020 reflect updated data sources.

The main EDP notification tables for Ireland, details of government guarantees, PPPs and concessions and tables showing the impact of government interventions in the financial sector on government accounts will be published on 22 October, the same day as Eurostat's EDP statistics release.

Government accounts are compiled in the EU according to the European System of National Accounts 2010 (ESA2010) framework.

Table 1 General Government transactions: revenue, expenditure and deficit
       €million
DescriptionESA2010 code2016201720182019
General Government transactions     
RevenueTR74,69577,97284,16789,135
Taxes and social contributionsD2 + D5 + D91 + D6165,96969,62275,50080,471
TaxesD2 + D5 + D9152,81455,71460,54964,625
Social contributions D6113,15613,90814,95115,847
Sales of goods and servicesP1O5,4525,5705,9216,015
Investment incomeD41,8261,7791,5271,581
Current transfer revenue (excluding taxes)D7447557646513
Capital transfer revenue (excluding taxes)D9N1,001444573553
 
ExpenditureTE76,50078,92983,78687,285
ExpenseExpense74,94177,60081,45883,746
Compensation of employeesD119,78620,90221,90823,009
Use of goods and services plus taxes payableP2 + D5 + D299,98210,34011,32012,513
Depreciation (Consumption of fixed capital)P51c3,6913,9064,1634,462
Interest (excluding FISIM)D416,2645,9415,3184,457
SubsidiesD31,7681,8571,9481,709
Social benefitsD62 + D63228,75329,48430,50231,646
Other current transfersD73,2533,4764,0804,031
Capital transfersD91,4441,6942,2191,920
 
 Net operating balanceNOB-2473722,7085,389
 
Net acquisition of non-financial assetsP5 + NP - P51c1,5591,3292,3283,539
         
 General Government Surplus/DeficitB9-1,805-9573801,850
         
 General Government Surplus/Deficit (% of GDP) -0.7-0.30.10.5
 General Government Surplus/Deficit (% of GNI*) -1-0.50.20.9
 GDP at current market prices 270,809300,387326,986356,051
 GNI* 174,732186,217198,702213,708