PHNOM PENH, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's public debt stock rose 1.95 percent to 13.56 billion U.S. dollars in the second quarter (Q2) of 2026, up from the 13.3 billion dollars recorded at the end of Q1, the Cambodia Public Debt Statistical Bulletin released on Wednesday.
Published by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the bulletin revealed that 95 percent, or 12.83 billion dollars, of the total debt was public external debt, while the remaining 5 percent, or 735.7 million dollars, was public domestic debt.
According to the bulletin, the public debt stock comprised 48 percent in USD, 17 percent in Special Drawing Rights (SDR), 10 percent each in JPY and CNY, 9 percent in EUR, and the remainder in local and other currencies.
During Q2, the government signed 368.9 million dollars in new concessional loans with development partners. According to the bulletin, this brought the total new loans signed in the first half (H1) of 2026 to 460.2 million dollars, representing 15 percent of the legal borrowing ceiling.
"Overall, all the loans are highly concessional with an average grant element of around 41.8 percent," the bulletin said.
Cambodia paid 108.8 million dollars in debt services to development partners during Q2. According to the bulletin, this brought the kingdom's total debt service payments for the H1 of 2026 to 389.4 million dollars.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth said the new loans are designed to finance public investment projects in priority sectors.
He added that these projects aim to support long-term, sustainable economic growth and boost productivity.
"Cambodia's public debt situation remains manageable, sustainable, and at a low risk of debt distress," he said.
The Southeast Asian country's total public debt stands at 17.9 percent of its Gross Domestic Product, which is safely below the maximum threshold of 40 percent, the bulletin said. ■
