Moldovan Public Debt Hits Unprecedented Level in November

The public debt exceeded 101.52 billion lei in November, recording an increase of 328.1 million lei (+0.3%). According to the Finance Ministry, this is a new historical maximum, surpassing the previous record of 101 billion 192.6 million lei, recorded at the end of October 2023. The data show a significant increase in the total public debt of the Republic of Moldova since the beginning of 2023, recording an increase of 6 billion 860.6 million lei (+7.2%). This development is due to the increase in both internal and external public debt. The domestic public debt increased by 13%, reaching 38 billion 968.1 million lei at the end of November 2023, compared to 34 billion 492.4 million lei at the end of 2022. Meanwhile, the external public debt increased by 4%, reaching 62 billion 552.6 million in the same period. At the end of November 2023, the share of domestic public debt in total public debt was 38.4 per cent and external public debt was 61.6 per cent. In this regard, the percentage of total public debt to GDP at the end of the same month was estimated at 32.5 per cent, compared to 34.5 per cent at the end of 2022. The Ministry of Finance noted that the share of debt to be repaid within 1 year in total debt at the end of November 2023 was 30.1%, while the share of domestic public debt in total debt was 38.4%. The economic outlook and future approaches to public debt management are important regarding the evolution of this indicator at the national level.