Lebanon’s gross public debt reached $70.3 billion at the end of 2015, constituting an increase of 5.6 percent from the end of 2014, and compared to increase of 4.9 percent in 2014 and 10 percent in 2013 as stated by Byblos Bank’s Lebanon This Week.
In nominal terms, the gross public debt grew by $3.7 billion in 2015 relative to increases of $3.1 billion in 2014 and $5.8 billion in 2013.
Domestic debt totaled $43.2 billion at the end of 2015, rising by 5.6 percent from end-2014 and relative to an increase of 9.7 percent in 2014; while debt in foreign currency stood at $27.1 billion, constituting an increase of 5.7 percent from a year earlier and compared to a drop of 1.9 percent in 2014.
Local currency debt accounted for 61.5 percent of gross public debt while foreign currency-denominated debt represented the balance of 38.5 percent at the end of 2015, unchanged from a year earlier.
The net public debt, which excludes public sector deposits at the Central Bank and at commercial banks from overall debt figures, grew by 7.4 percent to 61.5 billion at end 2015.
