Public Accounts · Spain's Annual Report
Spain's public accounts: the annual report
Like a company's annual report, but for general government as a whole (central government, regions, local councils and Social Security): how much does the State take in? What is taxpayers' money spent on? What is the annual deficit and how is public debt evolving?
Trend · / inhab.
Trend · / inhab.
Trend · % of GDP
Trend · percent
General government gross debt: Spain 100.5 EU 82.6France 115.5Portugal 89.7Germany 62.7Italy 137.1Morocco 66.6US 124.4China 98.6 Japan 204.8Greece 146.6 % of GDP · 2025 · IMF (World Economic Outlook) All countries →
A principle of this website: amounts in euros are shown per inhabitant (so they do not grow merely because the population grows) and adjusted for inflation, in 2025 euros using the INE's annual average CPI. Totals in current euros appear as secondary figures. Percentages of GDP need no adjustment.
1. The Path of Public Money (Budget Flow 2024)
This flow diagram shows where general government revenue comes from and which specific items it is spent on (latest year with a full breakdown published by Eurostat). The difference between the two sides is the year's deficit, which is financed with debt:
Want to dig deeper into revenue?
See what is collected through personal income tax, VAT, corporation tax, social contributions and public fees.
See the full Public Revenue report →Want to see spending in detail?
Find out how much the State spends per inhabitant on health, pensions, education and defence.
See the full report on Spending and Cost per Inhabitant →How many public employees are there?
How many work in each administration and region, how their numbers have changed, what they earn compared with the private sector and how much they cost.
See the Public Employment report →How much do pensions cost?
Average pension adjusted for inflation, contributors per pension, spending as a % of GDP compared with the EU and differences between regions.
See the Pensions report →2. The Historical Balance: Revenue vs Spending (1996 - 2025)
The annual difference between what the public sector takes in and what it pays out defines the budget balance (a surplus if positive, a deficit if negative). To make comparisons between years fair, figures are expressed per inhabitant and in 2025 euros (the series starts in 1996, the first year with annual CPI available):
3. Who manages public spending in Spain?
Spain is a decentralised state in which spending responsibilities are shared among four institutional subsectors. Each subsector's figures are not consolidated with the others (they include transfers between administrations), so their shares of total spending add up to more than 100%:
Breakdown by Level of Government (2025)
- Central Government (the State): Funds the ministries, the National Police, defence, infrastructure of general interest and most interest payments on the debt.
- Autonomous Communities (regions): Manage the two main pillars of citizens' welfare: public healthcare and education.
- Social Security Funds: The body specialising in paying pensions and benefits to workers and retirees.
- Local Government (Town Councils and Provincial Councils): Responsible for urban planning, waste collection, urban transport and municipal services.
4. Public Debt as a Share of GDP
The deficit accumulated over the years is financed by issuing Public Debt (Treasury bills, bonds and obligations):
Official Sources and Traceability
- Intervención General de la Administración del Estado (IGAE): Spain's General Comptroller of the State Administration; national accounts of the public sector.
- Banco de España - Statistical Bulletin: Historical series of public debt and general government financial liabilities.
- Eurostat - Government Finance Statistics (gov_10a_main): Harmonised consolidated accounts under the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010).