Public debt surpasses Rs 2.5 trillion

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 20: Nepal's public debt has exceeded Rs 2.5 trillion. In the first three months of the current fiscal year, liabilities increased by Rs 88.93 billion, bringing the total public debt to Rs 2.523 trillion.

At the start of this fiscal year, total public debt stood at Rs 2.434 trillion. The rise in debt is attributed to government expenditures outpacing revenue. By the end of the month of Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August), the debt had reached Rs 2.472 trillion.

Nepal’s GDP currently stands at Rs 5.704 trillion, with public debt accounting for 44.23% of GDP.

Since Shrawan, the government has borrowed Rs 136.32 billion, but only repaid Rs 69 billion in principal. By Ashwin (mid-September to mid-October), outstanding internal debt rose to Rs 1.236 trillion, while external debt reached Rs 1.286 trillion. Comparatively, at the end of the previous fiscal year, internal debt stood at Rs 1.180 trillion and external debt at Rs 1.253 trillion.

The government aims to mobilize Rs 547 billion in public debt during this fiscal year. As of Ashwin, it had raised Rs 115 billion through internal borrowing and Rs 21.31 billion from external sources. During this period, it repaid Rs 59.6 billion in internal debt and Rs 9.43 billion in external debt.

In the past three months, the government spent Rs 83.07 billion on debt servicing, including both principal and interest. Of this, Rs 69.03 billion went toward principal repayment, while Rs 14.04 billion was spent on interest payments. Specifically, Rs 11.85 billion was paid in interest on internal debt and Rs 2.19 billion on external debt.