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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

2017 to 2020 (October 2021 Provisional Results)

 General Government
 BalanceGross DebtNet Debt
Year€bn% GDP€bn% GDP€bn% GDP
2017-0.9-0.3201.367.8175.058.9
20180.50.1205.963.1177.254.3
20191.80.5204.057.2174.649.0
2020-18.4-4.9217.958.4185.949.9

General Government deficit of 4.9% of GDP in 2020

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Provisional data for 2020 shows a general government deficit of €18.4 billion (4.9% of GDP / 8.8% of GNI*).  In 2020 revenue decreased by €4.5 billion (5.1%) while expenditure increased by €15.7 billion (18.2%) resulting in a reduction of €20.2 billion over the 2019 surplus - see Table 1.  

Government debt increases to 58.4% of GDP in 2020

Provisional data indicates that general government gross debt (GG Debt) stood at €217.9 billion at the end of 2020 (58.4% of GDP / 104.7% of GNI*) compared with the 2019 figure of €204.0 billion (57.2% of GDP / 94.6% 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 2021.  It is envisaged that the detailed release and tables will be published by the CSO no later than 21 October 2020. The CSO PxStat 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 2021 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 21 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 code2017201820192020
General Government transactions     
RevenueTR76,92583,07488,10983,616
Taxes and social contributionsD2 + D5 + D91 + D6169,40575,17480,51277,259
TaxesD2 + D5 + D9155,71460,54964,67762,289
Social contributions D6113,69114,62515,83414,970
Sales of goods and servicesP1O4,6374,9284,9104,007
Investment incomeD41,7791,5331,5791,119
Current transfer revenue (excluding taxes)D7660865647695
Capital transfer revenue (excluding taxes)D9N444573461536
  
ExpenditureTE77,80282,58786,286102,033
ExpenseExpense76,40379,95182,64498,217
Compensation of employeesD121,11222,12423,43524,510
Use of goods and services plus taxes payableP2 + D5 + D2910,44811,21612,63914,908
Depreciation (Consumption of fixed capital)P51c4,1044,3744,7375,030
Interest (excluding FISIM)D415,9065,3154,6233,829
SubsidiesD31,8571,9481,7095,652
Social benefitsD62 + D63228,57929,39730,64438,530
Other current transfersD72,9023,6643,3074,039
Capital transfersD91,4941,9121,5511,720
  
 Net operating balanceNOB5223,1235,465-14,602
  
Net acquisition of non-financial assetsP5 + NP - P51c1,3992,6363,6423,815
         
 General Government Surplus/DeficitB9-8774871,823-18,417
         
 General Government Surplus/Deficit (% of GDP) -0.30.10.5-4.9
 General Government Surplus/Deficit (% of GNI*) -0.50.20.8-8.8
 GDP at current market prices 296,925326,043356,526372,869
 GNI* 185,125197,820215,555208,178