PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Economy and Finance reported that the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) had a total public debt stock of US$12.67 billion by the end of Q2 of 2025.
Up to 99 percent or US$12.54 billion was public external debt, and 1 percent or US$128 million was public domestic debt, according to the ministry’s Public Debt Statistical Bulletin issued earlier this week.
The composition of the public debt stock comprised 46 percent in USD, 18 percent in SDR (Special Drawing Rights), 11 percent in JPY, 10 percent in CNY, 8 percent in EUR and 7 percent in local and other currencies, the bulletin pointed out.
All the loans are highly concessional with an average grant element of around 36 percent, said the source, adding that the country’s total public debt is at 18.4 percent of the GDP (gross domestic product), which is far lower than the threshold of 40 percent.
“Cambodia’s public debt continues to remain sustainable and low risk of debt distress,” the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in the bulletin.
The purpose of these new signed loans is to finance public investment projects in the priority sectors that support long-term sustainable economic growth and increase economic productivity/production, it stated.
Meanwhile, the country had paid debt services to development partners in the amount of US$296 million in the first semester of this year.
Between January and June this year, the RGC has signed new concessional loans with development partners in a total amount of US$196 million, decreased by approximately 37 percent compared to the same period last year, the ministry said.
According to the report, in the first six months of this year, the RGC has issued government securities in a total amount of KHR 160 billion, equivalent to US$39.90 million accounting for 46 percent of the ceiling permitted by law (KHR 350 billion) for financing supports to the public investments for economic and productivity.