France's public debt will continue to rise, reaching 119.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026, up from 115.6 percent in 2025, according to data released Saturday by the French Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to rise further to 121.7 percent in 2027, more than double the European limit of 60 percent, the ministry said.
French daily Le Figaro, citing data from the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), reported that these debt levels would be the highest since 1995.
"The increase is mechanical. It is the consequence of a deficit that remains high," the ministry told local media.
The French government expects the public deficit to reach 5.4 percent of GDP in 2026, up from 5.1 percent in 2025, according to Le Figaro.
On Sept 11, French Economy and Finance Minister Roland Lescure said the government had cut its 2026 economic growth forecast to 0.5 percent, lower than the previously reported 0.7 percent. The target of limiting the budget deficit to 5 percent of GDP in 2026 "is no longer an option," Lescure said, adding that "France will have a deficit above 5 percent in 2026."
France's public debt to reach 119.3 pct of GDP in 2026
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday that participation in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York is Iran's "legal right."
"Being present in New York holds absolutely no appeal for Iran's representatives. However, it is a stronghold that must not be abandoned. Iran's participation in the UNGA's session is a legal right, not a favor to be granted to us by someone. Iran is one of the UN's 50 founding members," Baghaei said in an interview with state-run IRIB TV.
"It is our duty as the Iranian nation's representatives to attend this major international event to make the world hear the Iranian people's rightfulness," he said, accusing "the other side" of employing every available tool to prevent the Iranian delegation's participation.
Such "obstructionism and negative propaganda" will never make Iran back down from its legitimate right to participate in the session and articulate its positions, he said.
The United States said it would issue visas to Iran's "core delegation" for the UNGA "consistent with our host country obligations," according to a statement by the U.S. State Department on Thursday.
"The delegation is smaller than last year," the statement said.
Iran says participation in UNGA session its "legal right"
