Moldova’s External Public Debt Surpasses $5 Billion for the First Time

In the first eight months of 2026, Moldova’s domestic and external public debt increased by approximately 15 billion lei, or more precisely by 14.95 billion lei, 3.4 times faster than during the same period in 2025, according to data from the Ministry of Finance. As of August 31, 2026, total public debt stood at 147.73 billion lei, equivalent to around $8.55 billion or €7.33 billion at the official exchange rate on August 31. In nominal terms, this represents more than 38% of GDP, which is estimated at around 388 billion lei this year, Mold-Street reports. Ministry of Finance data show that domestic and external public debt increased by more than 4.8 billion lei in August alone. The increase was driven primarily by the receipt of around €218 million in budget support from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, credited to the Ministry of Finance’s accounts. As a result, external public debt has increased by approximately 8.75 billion lei since the beginning of the year, reaching around 89.53 billion lei by the end of August. In foreign-currency terms, external public debt amounted to approximately $5.18 billion, exceeding the $5 billion mark for the first time. According to the Ministry of Finance, the $4 billion threshold was surpassed in December 2024, the $3 billion mark in December 2022, and the $2 billion level in July 2020. At the same time, domestic public debt stood at 58.2 billion lei, an increase of 6.21 billion lei since the beginning of the year.