Government recorded surplus of over €10 billion last year, CSO finds

The Government recorded a surplus of €10.7 billion last year, equating to 1.8% of GDP, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

In 2024, the surplus was €23.4 billion, but this included a one-off revenue of €14.2 billion from a Court of Justice of the European Union ruling.

The CSO found that total government revenue fell to €144.8 billion in 2025, which was €4.3 billion less than 2024.

Total expenditure was €134.1 billion in 2025, an increase of €8.4 billion from 2024. Gross General Government fell to €209.9 billion at the end of 2025.

Bill Drakeford, Statistician at the CSO, said: “Today’s results for 2025 show a surplus of €10.7 billion, with revenue 2.9% lower than 2024, and expenditure up by 6.7%. This is the fourth year in a row to record a surplus, with a combined surplus for 2022 to 2025 of just over €50 billion, driven by tax receipts of almost €400 billion over the period. When comparing 2024 and 2025, it should be noted that in 2024 there was a one-off capital receipt of more than €14 billion, arising from a Court of Justice of the European Union ruling.

Total government revenue of €144.8 billion in 2025 is a €4.3 billion decrease from 2024. Excluding the impact of the one-off revenue of €14.2 billion in 2024, revenue in 2025 actually rose by €9.9 billion.

Gross General Government Debt stood at €209.9 billion at the end of 2025, down by €5.6 billion in the year. This is equivalent to 34.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).”