KATHMANDU: Nepal’s public debt surged by over Rs 231 billion in the fiscal year 2024/25, according to data released by the Public Debt Management Office.
The country’s total debt reached Rs 2.67 trillion by the end of mid-July 2025, up from Rs 2.43 trillion at the start of the fiscal year.
Under the coalition government led by CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli and the Nepali Congress, public debt rose by Rs 231.08 billion in one year — bringing the debt-to-GDP ratio to 43.71 percent.
Of the total debt, internal borrowing amounted to Rs 1.26 trillion, which is 22.14 percent of GDP. Meanwhile, external debt stood at Rs 1.40 trillion, accounting for 24.56 percent of GDP.
The government had originally set a target of mobilizing Rs 547 billion in debt for FY 2024/25. However, it was only able to mobilize Rs 455.39 billion by the end of the fiscal year, Rs 329.99 billion through domestic borrowing and Rs 125.39 billion through external sources.
This fell short of the target, particularly in external loans, which had aimed for Rs 217 billion.
During the same period, the government repaid Rs 362.59 billion in debt, out of the Rs 402.85 billion budgeted for debt servicing.
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