For the first time in the history of the country, the amount of foreign debt has exceeded 100 billion or 10 trillion dollars. According to the latest data of Bangladesh Bank, the total foreign debt at the end of 2023 stood at 100.6 billion dollars. In Bangladeshi currency (110 taka per dollar), the amount of this loan is 11 lakh 7 thousand 40 crore taka. 79 percent of these loans have been taken by the government and the remaining 21 percent by the private sector.

This information has been obtained from the latest report of foreign loans of Bangladesh Bank. 

According to the report, 15 years ago at the end of 2008, the debt was just over $22 billion. That is, the foreign debt of the country has increased by 77.85 billion dollars or about 342 percent in the last 15 years.

It shows that in the last three months of 2023 (October-December), the foreign debt of the country increased by 4.09 billion dollars. During this period, the foreign debt of the government increased by 4.42 billion dollars. Foreign debt to the private sector has decreased by $330 million despite the increase in government. 

At the end of last December, the foreign debt of the government and government institutions was 79.69 billion dollars. And the foreign debt of the private sector has come down to 20.94 billion dollars.

By reviewing the Central Bank data, it can be seen that the amount of foreign debt at the end of 2015-16 fiscal year was 41.17 billion dollars. At the end of the fiscal year 2022-23, it stood at 98.11 billion dollars. This means that the foreign debt of the country has increased more than twice in the last 8 years. According to the report, foreign debt increased the most since 2018. At the end of the fiscal year 2019-20, the amount of foreign debt was 68.55 billion dollars. In the fiscal year 2020-21, it increased by 19 percent to 81.62 billion dollars. In the financial year 2021-22, the amount of this debt exceeded 95.45 billion dollars. At the end of the fiscal year 2022-23, the amount of foreign debt increased to 98.94 billion dollars. And at the end of last year, the amount of this loan exceeded 100 billion dollars.

These foreign loans have come for the construction of various government mega projects. Among these, the highest came in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant construction project. Russia has loaned 11.38 billion dollars for the construction of this power plant. A loan of 2.48 billion dollars has been taken from China for the construction of Payra thermal power plant. And India has provided 1.6 billion dollar loan assistance for the construction of Rampal thermal power plant. 

Apart from this, a loan assistance of Tk 43 thousand 921 crore is being taken from Japan for Matarbari power plant and other projects.

Apart from the government, the government institutions are also taking loans from foreign sources. The amount of foreign debt of government institutions is now 11.78 billion dollars.

According to the latest data of Census and Housing Census, the population of the country is 16.98 million. Accordingly, after last December, per capita foreign debt stood at 592 dollars. In Bangladesh currency which is about 69 thousand taka. But as of last June it was 574 dollars. 8 years ago which was a little over $257.