Tax arrears owed to the Greek state increased by €3.67 billion over the past year, reaching a total of €114.24 billion by the end of January 2026, according to data released by Greece’s Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE).
Of the total overdue debt, 30.69%, or €35.06 billion, has been classified as uncollectible. A significant portion of the increase in uncollectible debt is linked to a single debtor, whose €5.51 billion in fines under Greece’s former Code of Books and Records was officially classified as uncollectible in November 2025. The overall rise in overdue debt is attributed to new overdue liabilities totaling €9.97 billion, as well as €2.21 billion in overdue debts from previous years that were assessed at a later stage. At the same time, tax authorities collected or wrote off a total of €8.51 billion. As a result, the amount considered realistically collectible actually decreased compared to the previous year, while uncollectible debt increased.
An analysis of the composition of the realistically collectible overdue debt shows that 66.32%, or €52.52 billion, consists of tax debts. A significant portion also comes from fines—both tax and non-tax related—which amount to €17.59 billion, representing 22.22% of the total. Non-tax debts, such as loans, court costs and financial penalties, amount to €9.07 billion and account for 11.46% of the collectible overdue balance.
Within the tax debt category, €8.13 billion is owed by insolvent debtors, while €16.99 billion comes from debts whose installment deadlines expired more than a decade ago. This leaves €27.39 billion in debts from which almost all government collections are generated, accounting for nearly 90% of total recoveries. In practical terms, almost all tax collections come from just over one-third of the total overdue debt considered collectible.
Looking more closely at tax debts, the largest share comes from value-added tax (VAT), with debts totaling €24.79 billion, or 47.21% of tax debt. Income tax follows with 42.31%, while property taxes account for a much smaller share at 5.29%, corresponding to €2.78 billion.
The number of debtors decreased by 76,777 compared to the previous year, bringing the total to 3,764,592 by the end of January 2026. The decline mainly concerns small debts of up to €3,000, possibly linked to changes in payment installments for Greece’s property tax (ENFIA). Despite the reduction in small debts, the total overdue balance increased in higher debt categories, with the largest increase recorded among debts exceeding €1.5 million.
The distribution of debt is highly concentrated. Debts above €10,000 account for 96.48% of total overdue debt. Debts exceeding €1 million represent 75.53% of total debt, even though debtors in this category make up only 0.27% of all debtors. By contrast, nearly 89% of debtors owe up to €10,000, but their combined debt accounts for only 3.52% of the total overdue balance.
In terms of who owes the money, individuals owe €43.48 billion, representing 38.07% of the total, while companies and legal entities owe €70.75 billion, or 61.93% of the total overdue debt. Individuals dominate the lower debt brackets, while companies account for an increasing share as debt levels rise, representing over 70% of debts above €1 million.
Finally, only a small portion of overdue debt is currently under repayment arrangements. Just 6.65% of the collectible overdue balance, or €5.26 billion, is under some form of settlement plan. The highest participation in repayment schemes is found in debts between €10,000 and €100,000, while very small and very large debts show particularly low participation in settlement programs.
