It is a flow over a period, unlike the stock of debt. The general government deficit covers more public bodies than the central government budget alone.
Budget deficit
In a nutshell
A budget deficit occurs when government budget spending exceeds revenue over a period.
On this page
Explained simply
A practical example
Hypothetical example: spending of CFA 3,000 billion and revenue of CFA 2,700 billion produce a budget deficit of CFA 300 billion.
Further reading
Source: Cour des comptes — Deficit measures.
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What this means
Spending exceeds revenue by 300: a budget deficit of 300.
Educational scenarios. Amounts and rates are fictional, not current market conditions.