Health. Public hospitals: the deficit estimated at 2.3 billion in 2025, according to the Drees
The deficit of public hospitals is estimated at around 2.3 billion euros in 2025, the “third highest level” of the last twenty years, even if it decreases compared to the record of 2024, indicates a study by the Drees published on Tuesday.
The overall deficit of public hospitals would thus reach 2.1% of their revenue in 2025, or an amount “of the order of 2.3 billion euros”, specifies this study by the statistical services of the social ministries, based on the “non-final accounts” of the establishments at the end of June 2026.
This deficit represented 2.7% of revenues in 2024, or 2.9 billion euros, a level never reached since 2005, the starting point of the observations.
Figures weighed down by interest on loans
In 2025, operating expenses continued to increase, although at a pace “less sustained than in 2024” but the accounts are still burdened by the “payment of interest on loans”, observes the Drees.
The increase in costs linked to staff salaries, in particular, slowed down: +3.0% (+1.9 billion euros), after +4.1% (+2.5 billion euros) in 2024, the year when salary increases were implemented.
Despite the investment aid linked to Ségur de la santé, “the investment effort of public hospitals has declined”: it amounted to 4.8% of revenue in 2025 (5.4 billion), after 5.1% in 2024 (5.5 billion).
6 billion additional for investment projects
The Ségur de la santé agreements, signed in July 2020, provide for aid intended to support the financing of investments in health establishments and nursing homes. The government has thus promised 19 billion euros over ten years, including 9 billion “intended to directly finance new investments” and 6.5 billion euros devoted to debt reduction, recalls the Drees.
In May 2026, the Ministry of Health announced that it would release an additional 6 billion euros over the period 2026-2036, to “support” investment projects.
More and more visits to emergency rooms, particularly in the Grand Est
Furthermore, general and pediatric emergency services recorded 21.5 million visits in 2025, a figure which is still increasing (+0.8%), “despite the ongoing generalization of the access to care service”, new Samu which combines community medicine, and must redirect some of the patients outside the hospital.
This increase in crossings is however observed “in a small majority of regions, notably in the Grand Est and Hauts-de-France” or several overseas territories including Guyana, specifies the study. Conversely, the number of crossings is decreasing in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Corsica and Guadeloupe.
