Dhaka: Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Tuesday informed Parliament that Bangladesh’s foreign debt reached approximately $78 billion as of February 2026. The announcement came during a parliamentary session where the minister responded to questions regarding the nation’s financial obligations.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the finance minister detailed, “According to the account up to February, 2026, the foreign debt of the Bangladesh government amounts to $78,067.20 million.” This statement was made in response to a starred question from independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana representing Brahmanbaria-2.
The parliamentary session commenced at 3:00 pm, presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram. During the session, the finance minister elaborated on the role of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) in managing the repayment of foreign loans on behalf of the government. Each fiscal year, the government prepares a projection to estimate the total expenditure required for servicing foreign debt, which includes both principal and interest payments. These allocations are incorporated into the national budget to ensure timely repayments.
In response to a question from treasury bench member Md Shamsur Rahman Simul Biswas of Pabna-5, Minister Khosru disclosed that the government had secured approximately $86 billion in foreign loans from the 2008-09 to 2025-26 fiscal years. During this period, $22,328.47 million was repaid in principal, while $8,696.82 million was paid in interest. By December 30, 2025, the foreign debt had reached $77,279.12 million.
The finance minister further informed the House that between the 2007-08 fiscal year and February of the 2025-26 fiscal year, the government borrowed a total of $87,396.03 million and repaid $22,050.79 million in principal. Consequently, the country’s foreign debt increased by $65,346.24 million during this timeframe.