The country's total foreign debt stood at approximately $78 billion as of February 2026, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury disclosed in parliament on Tuesday, offering a comprehensive picture of the country's external borrowing over nearly two decades.
Responding to a starred question from independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana of Brahmanbaria-2, the minister said the government's foreign debt amounted to $78,067.20 million according to the latest available figures.
Khosru told the House that the Economic Relations Division manages all foreign loan repayments on behalf of the government, with annual projections prepared each fiscal year to estimate the total cost of debt servicing, covering both principal and interest.
Necessary allocations are built into the national budget and disbursed according to a scheduled repayment plan throughout the year.
In response to a separate question from treasury bench member Md Shamsur Rahman Simul Biswas of Pabna-5, the minister revealed that Bangladesh received a cumulative $85,992.64 million, nearly $86 billion, in foreign loans between the 2008-09 and 2025-26 fiscal years.
During the same period, the government repaid $22,328.47 million in principal and a further $8,696.82 million in interest payments. As of December 30, 2025, the outstanding foreign debt stood at $77,279.12 million.
Taking a longer view, the minister said that from the 2007-08 fiscal year through to February of the current fiscal year, Bangladesh borrowed a total of $87,396.03 million and repaid $22,050.79 million in principal, meaning the country's net foreign debt position grew by $65,346.24 million over that period.
Tuesday's parliamentary session began at 3pm with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, presiding.
