The external debt stock of Bangladesh increased by 6.59 per cent to USD 97.01 billion in 2022 from USD 91.48 billion in 2021 despite a fall by 3.4 per cent in the external debt of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to a World Bank report.
The International Debt Report-2023, released recently, said the external debt of Bangladesh has multiplied by more than two-and-a-half times since 2010.
For the first time since 2015, the external debt stock of LMICs decreased in 2022, falling by 3.4% to USD 9.0 trillion from USD 9.3 trillion in 2021.
The total net debt flows to LMICs decreased from USD 556 billion in 2021 to USD $185 billion in 2022, a decrease of 66.72 percent. In 2022, the short- and long-term debt flows were both negative.
Bangladesh’s external debt stocks were valued at USD 26.57 billion in 2010, increased to USD 57.17 billion in 2018, and eventually topped USD 97 billion in 2022, according to a World Bank analysis.
