Bangladesh’s external debt dips

Bangladesh's foreign debt has decreased by $1.34 billion in the first three months of this year.

The county's total public and private sector debt stood at $99.30 billion as of March, according to data from the Bangladesh Bank.

The external debt for the first time climbed to $100.64 billion in December last year.

At the end of March this year, the private sector's total debt stood at $20.29 billion, 3 percent lower than $20.94 billion in December last year.

Meanwhile, the government's foreign debt stood at $79 billion, down from $79.69 billion as of the end of 2023.

In March, the private sector's short-term foreign debts reached $11.04 billion, a decrease by $750 million from $11.79 billion in December.

However, the private sector's long-term external debt decreased to $91.53 billion in March from $92.56 billion in December.

Industry insiders said the private sector external debt decreased as borrowers are repaying their existing loans due to the increased value of the dollar against the taka and rising international loan interest rates.