Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury announced that Bangladesh’s foreign debt has increased nearly six and a half times since 2006, reaching Tk 8.12 trillion in 2024. He made the disclosure on Thursday while presenting the national budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

The minister also stated that domestic debt has expanded from Tk 650 billion to Tk 10.77 trillion, marking more than a sixteenfold rise, which he described as concerning. The proposed budget size is Tk 9.38 trillion, with a revenue target of Tk 6.95 trillion. This leaves a deficit of Tk 2.43 trillion, which the government plans to finance through both domestic and foreign borrowing.

The report indicates that the government aims to balance the large fiscal gap by mobilizing funds from multiple sources, reflecting the growing reliance on debt to sustain budgetary commitments.