Sri Lanka’s external debt reached $ 37.5 billion as of June, according to the Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report.
In the first half of 2024, debt service payments amounted to $ 503 million, comprising $ 275.1 million in principal and $ 227.9 million in interest.
As part of its interim debt standstill policy, the government suspended external debt servicing on loans from bilateral and commercial creditors starting 12 April 2022. By June 2024, this standstill had led to an accumulation of $ 8.19 billion in unpaid debt service, with $ 5.67 billion in principal and $ 2.52 billion in interest.