Bangladesh’s external debt climbed to $113.44 billion at the end of 2025, equivalent to approximately $646 per capita, as the country’s outstanding liabilities increased 8.6% year-on-year, according to the World Bank’s International Debt Report 2026, released in early November.
The country’s external debt has nearly tripled over the past decade, rising from $38.77 billion in 2015. The total includes $89.51 billion in public and publicly guaranteed debt, $9.87 billion in private nonguaranteed debt and $14.06 billion in short-term debt.
Among multilateral creditors, the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) accounted for $22.64 billion, followed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with $17.52 billion. Japan was Bangladesh’s largest bilateral creditor, with $12.72 billion, followed by Russia at $9.02 billion.
The World Bank estimated Bangladesh’s per-capita external debt above the South Asian average of approximately $564. The figure also exceeded India’s $522 and Nepal’s $401, although it remained significantly below Sri Lanka’s $2,645, Bhutan’s $4,218 and the Maldives’ $8,957.
External debt stood at 210% of exports and 24% of gross national income (GNI) in 2025. Meanwhile, debt service accounted for 16% of exports and 2% of GNI.
The per-capita figure represents an average share of national external debt based on population, not an individual citizen’s personal financial liability.
