In the second quarter of 2026, the household savings rate fell by 0.5 percentage points in Portugal, 0.2 points in the Eurozone, and 0.3 points in the EU compared to the previous quarter. During this period, Portugal's gross disposable income for households rose 1.7%, while individual consumption expenditure grew 2.2%.
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The European Central Bank's latest survey of over 12,800 businesses in the eurozone shows that 46% experienced an increase in bank loan interest rates during the third quarter of 2026, up from 42% in the previous quarter. Companies reported both higher interest rates and increased non-interest financing costs, such as fees and collateral requirements, while also noting a decline in the availability of bank loans.
In the second quarter of 2026, the public debt-to-GDP ratio rose to 88.8% in the eurozone and 82.9% in the EU. Portugal's public debt stood at 92.5% of GDP, which represents a decrease of 3.4 percentage points compared to the second quarter of 2025, but an increase of 2.1 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2026.
Eurostat estimated that the Eurozone budget deficit rose to 3.3% of GDP and the EU deficit to 3.5% of GDP in the second quarter of 2026. Portugal recorded a budget surplus of 0.8%, ranking as the fifth highest among member states.