Bangladesh’s total government debt has exceeded Tk 21 trillion for the first time, driven by weak revenue performance and ambitious development spending. According to the Finance Division’s debt bulletin released Thursday, total debt stood at Tk 21.44 trillion at the end of June, up 14% from Tk 18.89 trillion a year earlier. External debt reached Tk 9.49 trillion, accounting for 44.27% of total debt, compared to Tk 4.20 trillion in 2021. Domestic debt also rose by 11% year-on-year to Tk 11.95 trillion. Officials attribute the surge to increased borrowing for major infrastructure projects such as the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Dhaka Metro Rail, and Matarbari coal-based power plant, as well as post-pandemic budget support from development partners. The data indicates that external debt has grown more than twice as fast as domestic debt over the past five years.