The Central Bank of the Philippines published first-quarter 2025 external debt statistics showing outstanding external debt rose to USD 146.74 billion at end-March 2025, driven by increased borrowings by the national government and the banking sector. External debt was up 6.6% quarter-on-quarter and 14.0% year-on-year. External debt stood at 31.5% of gross domestic product, compared with 29.8% in the previous quarter. Short-term external debt on a remaining-maturity basis totalled USD 32.67 billion and was covered 3.27 times by gross international reserves of USD 106.67 billion, while the debt service ratio declined to 8.4% from 9.0% a year earlier due to lower principal and interest payments in the quarter. The quarter-on-quarter rise was mainly attributed to national government fund-raising of USD 5.06 billion via global bonds and loans from foreign development institutions, alongside local banks’ short-term offshore financing for trading operations and liquidity needs; year-on-year, the increase was also linked to USD 7.83 billion in national government bond issuance and USD 6.14 billion in local bank borrowings.
Central Bank of the Philippines 2025-06-13
Central Bank of the Philippines reports external debt rises to USD 146.74 billion at end-March 2025 on government and bank borrowing
The Central Bank of the Philippines reported a rise in external debt to USD 146.74 billion at the end of March 2025, marking a 6.6% increase quarter-on-quarter and 14.0% year-on-year. The debt accounted for 31.5% of GDP, up from 29.8% in the previous quarter, with short-term debt covered 3.27 times by gross international reserves. The increase was driven by national government bond issuance and local banks' offshore financing.