The debt of the non-financial sector (public administrations, companies and individuals) amounted to 812.4 billion euros in September, up 1,200 million euros from August, the Bank of Portugal (BdP) said on Thursday.
Of this amount, 446 billion euros relate to the private sector (private companies and individuals) and 366.4 billion euros to the public sector (public administrations and state-owned companies).
As for private sector debt alone, it rose by €1 billion in September, mainly due to the debt of private companies.
According to BdP, the increase occurred mainly in the financial sector (€700 million) and was “attributable to the acquisition of short-term debt securities issued” by companies and the effects of their appreciation. Private debt remained virtually unchanged.
In terms of public sector debt, it increased by €200 million, reflecting increases in general administration (€700 million) and the financial sector (€400 million), partly offset by reductions overseas (€1 billion).
In terms of the annual rate of change, the rate of change in private company debt was almost zero in September, the same as in August. Individual debt fell 0.2% year over year.