Public debt in Portugal increased compared with the first quarter of last year, when it was 128.9% and compared to the previous quarter, 130.3%, and it is more than twice the limit, which is set at 60% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In the first quarter of the year the debt as a percentage of DGP was 176.2% in Greece and 134.7% in Italy, while the countries with the lowest debt level were Estonia, with 9.2%, Luxembourg with 23% and Bulgaria with 28.6%.

In all, 15 countries had public debt of over 60% in the first three months of this year.