Reading Paris's finances: the no-jargon guide
Budget, balance sheet, M57, internal accounting entries — everything you need to read Paris's financial files without being a chartered accountant.
11,72€B
planned in the 2026 voted budget
−3,6 % vs 2025 · +19,5 % since 2019
Spending and revenue
Click an item to open its detailed page. 2019–2026 trend on each line.
Spending11,72 €B
Social Action2,31€B20 %Transfers to the State and other councils1,58€B13 %Urban Planning & Housing1,30€B11 %Education992€M8 %General administration945€M8 %Environment918€M8 %Transports854€M7 %Culture & Sport795€M7 %Other711€M6 %Debt Repayment710€M6 %Security514€M4 %Economy92€M1 %Revenue11,20 €B
Taxes & Levies7,30€B65 %Public Services2,49€B22 %Borrowing845€M8 %Grants & Subsidies288€M3 %Investment180€M2 %Other91€M1 %How the City spends
23 % salaries14 % paid back to the State and other councils8 % benefits paid to people10 % building and equipment9 % mandatory contributions12 % grants8 % purchases and services5 % debt10 % other
On the largest lines of each item, i.e. 99% of the year’s spending.
Further reading
Articles, investigations and profiles connected to the numbers on this page.
Explanation
ExplanationThe municipal golden rule: what article L.1612-4 actually says
A municipality cannot borrow to pay its salaries. This rule, codified in article L.1612-4 of the Code général des collectivités territoriales, is what radically separates a municipal budget from the State's. Anatomy of a short text and its consequences.
ExplanationCan Paris go bankrupt?
Not in the commercial sense — French law forbids a municipality from disappearing. But a very precise prefectoral oversight regime kicks in if the financial golden rules are broken. No town of more than 10,000 residents has been placed under it since 2015. Anatomy of a scenario that has never happened.