France’s public debt jumped in the first quarter of the year, driven higher by social security and central state spending, Dow Jones reported. France’s public debt burden rose €51.6 billion ($57.2 billion) in the first quarter to €2,089 billion, French statistics agency Insee said. That total represents 97.5% of gross domestic product, compared with 95.6% in the fourth quarter of 2014. The central state’s debt rose €38.9 billion in the first quarter and the debt of the social security system rose €15.8 billion, Insee said.
