Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Total government debt increased by Rs 84 billion in the first four months of the fiscal year 2024/25. The debt now exceeds 44% of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Public Debt Management Office.
“Public debt, which was Rs 2,434.09 billion at the beginning of the fiscal year in mid-July, has now reached Rs 2,518.05 billion. This is 44.414% of the country’s total GDP,” the office said in its report.
Of the total public debt, Rs 1,252.16 billion is domestic debt, while Rs 1,265.89 billion is foreign debt.
The government has set a target to mobilize Rs 547 billion in public debt for the current fiscal year. It has already mobilized Rs 165.72 billion as targeted in the first four months of the fiscal year. This accounts for 30.3% of the total public debt the government aims to raise in the current fiscal year.
Of the Rs 330 billion that the government has targeted to raise as domestic debt in the current fiscal year, it has already mobilized 43.64%, or Rs 144 billion, in the first four months. Similarly, out of the targeted foreign debt of Rs 217 billion, the government has so far raised 10.1%, or Rs 21.72 billion.
The government has allocated Rs 402 billion to clear outstanding debt and accumulated interest in the current fiscal year. Of the allocated amount, it used Rs 108.14 billion to pay interest and installments over the first four months of 2024/25.
