As of the end of May 2025, Bulgaria’s gross external debt (public and private) increased by 16% year-on-year, reaching €50.83 billion, according to preliminary data from the Bulgarian National Bank. This marks a rise of €7.03 billion compared to May 2024, when the debt stood at €43.79 billion. The current amount equals 45.3% of the projected GDP, up from 42.2% a year earlier.
Short-term liabilities rose to €8.21 billion (16.1% of the total debt, 7.3% of GDP), up 6.2% from €7.73 billion in May 2024. Long-term obligations reached €42.62 billion (83.9% of the debt, 38% of GDP), increasing by 18.2% from €36.07 billion.
Debt with residual maturity over one year amounted to €33.02 billion (65% of total debt). Euro-denominated debt slightly declined to 79.8% from 80.1% in 2024.
The general government’s external debt rose by 50.2%, reaching €15.60 billion (13.9% of GDP), while the Central Bank’s liabilities decreased by 6.8% to €1.88 billion. Other monetary financial institutions owed €7.63 billion, up 22.4% year-on-year.
Other sectors’ debt grew by 1.9% to €12.69 billion. Intra-company lending reached €13.03 billion (11.6% of GDP), a 2.5% increase, and remained the largest component of external debt at 25.6%.
