3rd Quarter External Debt $702.7 Billion... 6.7% Increase from Previous Quarter

In the third quarter of this year, external debt reached $702.7 billion, an increase of $44.4 billion (6.7%) compared to the previous quarter.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the 20th, short-term external debt with a maturity of less than one year was $158.7 billion, up $16.8 billion from the previous quarter, and long-term external debt also increased by $27.6 billion to $544 billion.

By sector, the government saw the steepest increase, rising by $22.2 billion. The non-bank sector, public sector, and private enterprises increased by $13.4 billion, followed by banks ($5.8 billion) and the central bank ($3.0 billion).

External claims amounted to $1.0807 trillion, increasing by $41.0 billion (3.9%) during the same period. Net external claims, the difference between external claims and external debt, decreased by $3.4 billion (0.9%) to $378 billion.

The proportion of short-term external debt in total external debt slightly rose from 21.6% to 22.6%. The ratio of short-term external debt within holdings also increased from 34.4% to 37.8%. Although the soundness indicators have deteriorated, the Ministry of Economy and Finance explained that the levels remain lower than the average of the previous three years' quarters.