At the end of 2018 non-financial sector indebtedness stood at €716.1 billion, of which €317.0 billion referred to the public sector and €399.1 billion to the private sector.

Compared with the end of 2017, non-financial sector indebtedness declined by €0.7 billion. This decline was due to a €4.8 billion increase in public sector indebtedness and to a €5.5 billion decrease in private sector indebtedness (Chart 1).

The increase in public sector indebtedness was reflected in an increase in financing granted by the financial sector, the general government and private individuals. This rise was partly offset by a decrease in financing from abroad and from corporations (Chart 2).

In private sector indebtedness, there was a €6.2 billion decrease in the indebtedness of private corporations. This decrease mainly resulted in a decline in indebtedness vis-à-vis corporations, the financial sector and private individuals, partly offset by an increase in external financing. In turn, the indebtedness of private individuals increased by 0.7 billion, primarily external indebtedness, which increased as a result of the assignment of credit claims by resident financial institutions to non-resident entities.