The French public budget › Who spends it
The State and its agencies
The ministries and the agencies that depend on them: schools, universities, the armed forces, police, justice, and the interest on the State’s debt.
448.3bn€
voted for 2026 for the ministries (the State’s general budget)
The State budget, mission by mission
Year by year
Spent in 2024438.5bn€
Spent in 2025436.7bn€
Voted for 2026448.3bn€
What it pays for, voted for 2026
Education and research27%121.3bn€Defense15%66.5bn€Debt service13%60.3bn€Agriculture, overseas, foreign affairs, economy, veterans…12%54.3bn€Ecology, housing, transport, territories11%49.3bn€Social protection and inclusion7%31.3bn€Security (police, gendarmerie, civil safety)6%25.8bn€Labour and employment5%20.8bn€Where its money comes from, in 2024
Income tax111.8bn€22%VAT (central government share)97.9bn€19%Corporate income tax73.8bn€14%Sales and services51.0bn€10%Employer's share of civil servants' pensions (imputed)48.9bn€9%The 15 others
Excise and consumption taxes24.9bn€5%Capital taxes (inheritance, gifts)21.5bn€4%Payroll taxes17.3bn€3%Other taxes on products13.3bn€3%Property income (dividends, interest, rents)12.3bn€2%Other transfers received (EU funds, fines, claims…)11.7bn€2%Households' social contributions (employees, self-employed)7.5bn€1%Capital transfers received (investment grants…)6.1bn€1%Transfers received from other administrations5.3bn€1%Taxes on land and buildings4.3bn€< 1%Other taxes on production3.7bn€< 1%Other current taxes (property wealth tax…)3.4bn€< 1%Taxes on financial and property transactions1.9bn€< 1%Taxes on insurance premiums1.6bn€< 1%Employers' social contributions460M€< 1%Source: 2024 actual spending (budget outturn act) ↗, 2025 actual spending (budget outturn act) ↗, 2026 budget act as passed ↗, Eurostat, government accounts 2025 ↗.