The national debt in the third quarter of 2015 stood at 66.3% of GDP, a decrease of 4.5% when compared to the same period the previous year, the government said today, quoting Eurostat.

It said Malta registered the fifth largest debt reduction from among the 28 EU member states.

Thanks to the debt reduction in 2015 Malta has the lowest debt burden since June 2009.

The debt burden in March 2013 had reached 70.8% of GDP, the government said, an increase of 10.4% over the course of that legislature.

The government said that when Simon Busuttil was PN Deputy Leader the national debt was increasing by some €100 million every month.