Overview
- Destatis' final figures published Wednesday show total public debt at €2,662.2 billion at the end of 2025, a rise of €151.4 billion or 6.0% from 2024 and equal to €31,887 per person.
- The federal government accounted for the largest share, with Bund debt climbing to €1,840.4 billion (up 6.2%), Länder debt rose to €624.9 billion (up 2.9%), and municipal borrowing jumped 15.4% to €197.0 billion.
- Regional results vary widely: Saxony recorded the biggest per‑capita percentage increase while Bremen and Baden-Württemberg also rose sharply, and reported declines in Berlin and three other states reflect accounting reclassifications such as BEN Berlin's removal from the state sector.
- Economists cited by the press say extra defence spending and higher interest costs were key drivers of the 2025 increase, and they warn these factors could push debt higher again in the current and coming year.
- Destatis notes per‑capita figures use the 2022 census population update and that the published financial‑statistics debt totals exclude interest payments and differ from budgetary (haushaltsrechtliche) measures, a distinction that matters for how the numbers affect local finances and services.