Public debt increases by Rs 50.6 billion in first quarter of FY 2082/83

Kathmandu, Oct 31: The public debt has increased by Rs 50 billion 600 million in the first three months of the current fiscal year 2082/83 (2025/26).

According to the Public Debt Management Office, by the end of the last fiscal year, which ended on July 16, the government’s total debt stood at Rs 2,674 billion 40 million. As of the end of Asoj (October 17), it had reached Rs 2,724 billion 650 million. The debt amount is equivalent to 44.61 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Of the total sovereign debt as of October 17, the foreign debt accounts for 53.09 percent or Rs 1,446 billion 580 million, while the domestic debt makes up 46.91 percent or Rs 1,278 billion 70 million.

In the current fiscal year, the government has set a target of mobilizing Rs 595 billion in public debt. In the first quarter, it obtained Rs 100 billion 840 million, which is 16.93 percent of the annual target.

Towards domestic borrowing, the target is Rs 362 billion, and by October 17, the government had raised Rs 90 billion, equivalent to 24.86 percent of the annual target. For external borrowing, 4.65 percent or Rs 1.84 billion of the annual target of Rs 233.66 billion has been achieved.

In the current fiscal year, the government has allocated Rs 411 billion for interest payments on public debt. As of October 17, Rs 109.89 billion has been paid, which represents 26.74 percent of the total allocation.

Based on the GDP, total debt servicing expenditure as of October 17 stands at 1.80 percent. (RSS)