Germany's public debt has surpassed 2.8 trillion euros, amid continued government borrowing and increasing pressures on companies and the labor market, according to data from the "Bankruptcy Clock" tool published by the German newspaper "Bild," based on official estimates and data.
According to the tool, the total German public debt reached approximately 2.819 trillion euros, with the debt rising at a rate of 6,326 euros per second, against the backdrop of escalating government spending, particularly in the fields of infrastructure and defense.
In another indicator of economic pressures, Germany recorded 21,296 company bankruptcies since the beginning of this year, with one company closing approximately every 20 minutes, while the number of new unemployment claims exceeded 5.9 million, with a new unemployed individual entering the labor market every four seconds, according to the same tool's data.
Recent bankruptcy cases included the German paper factory "Tulow Papen," which has a history of about 150 years, as well as the "Eios" factory, which supplies automotive components to the Mercedes-Benz Group, where around 300 employees are now threatened with job loss.
These developments coincide with the German Parliament discussing the federal budget proposal for 2027, which includes increasing defense spending from 82.2 billion euros in 2026 to 109.7 billion euros next year.
A large part of these expenses is expected to be funded through new borrowings, anticipated to reach 118.7 billion euros in 2027, while the cost of servicing the existing public debt is expected to be around 41.9 billion euros, adding new financial burdens to the German budget.