Ireland’s public debt relative to the size of its economy grew more rapidly than any other EU member state in the three months to September last.

According to Eurostat, Ireland’s public debt as a per- centage of its gross domestic product hit 117 per cent at the end of the third quarter of 2012. At the end of the second quarter it was six percentage points lower, at 111 per cent.

The latest figures show that Irish public debt is the fourth highest among the EU 27. Greece, Italy and Portugal all had higher debt levels as of September. Italy and Portugal both also registered continued increases in their debt ratios.