Bangladesh’s foreign debt has climbed to a record $114.98 billion, rising nearly $4 billion in just three months as public-sector liabilities surged.
The Bangladesh Bank released the figures on Sunday, showing that total external debt rose 3.65 percent from $110.93 billion at the end of March.
At the current exchange rate of Tk 123.20 per dollar, the outstanding debt is equivalent to about Tk 14.17 trillion.
The total stood at $113.52 billion at the end of December 2024 and $113.58 billion a year earlier, at the end of June 2024.
The increase was 1.29 percent over six months and 1.23 percent year-on-year.
Public-sector external debt rose from $90.91 billion at the end of March to $95.10 billion in June, an increase of about $4.2 billion.
Private-sector debt, by contrast, fell by $140 million to $19.88 billion.
Long-Term Loans Dominate
Long-term borrowing accounted for 87.52 percent of the total at the end of June, amounting to $100.64 billion. Short-term debt stood at $14.35 billion.
By lender, Bangladesh owed $48.96 billion to multilateral development institutions, including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, and $32.54 billion to bilateral creditors.
Commercial loans amounted to $10.60 billion, while borrowing from the International Monetary Fund stood at $5.97 billion.
The decline in private-sector debt reflected reductions in short-term borrowing, buyers’ credit and trade loans.
Debt Rose Sharply under Awami League Rule
Bangladesh’s external debt stood at $20.65 billion when the caretaker government took office in 2007, rising to $22.79 billion by the end of 2008.
The Awami League took office on Jan 6, 2009. Before the party was ousted in 2024, the debt stock had climbed to $104.76 billion.
Borrowing continued under the interim government, with external debt reaching $113.58 billion by the end of 2025.