The debt-to-GDP ratio fell to 87.8% in the euro area in the fourth quarter of last year, down from 88.4% in the previous quarter, new data from Eurostat has revealed. In the EU as a whole, the debt-to-GDP ratio decreased from 82.0% to 81.7%, the data showed. Compared with the same period the previous year, however, the debt-to-GDP ratio increased in both the euro area and EU – the euro area ratio rose from 87.0% to 87.8%, while the EU ratio increased from 80.7% to 81.7% over the same period. [...]