Turkiye’s end-2021 short-term foreign debt hits $125.6B

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) – Turkiye's short-term foreign debt stock amounted to $125.6 billion as of end-2021, according to the country's Central Bank on Thursday.

The external debt due to be paid over the next 12 months grew 10.2% compared to the end of 2020, the bank said in a statement.

In this period, the bank's short-term external debt stock slipped 9.7% to $51.8 billion, while other sectors’ short-term external debt stock rose 35.1% to $47.8 billion.

The trade credits due to imports under other sectors recorded $42.5 billion, a rise of 42.9% compared to the end of the previous year.

"The short-term debt of public sector, which consists of public banks, decreased by 10.4% to $22.3 billion and the short-term debt of private sector increased by 14.0% to $77.3 billion compared to the end of 2020," it said.

Short-term FX loans of the lenders received from abroad declined 15.3% to $11.5 billion.

As of the end of December 2021, some 46.5% of the debt stock was in US dollars, 25.7% in euros, 8.7% in Turkish liras, and the remaining 19.1% in other currencies.

"Short-term external debt stock on a remaining maturity basis, calculated based on the external debt maturing within 1 year or less regarding of the original maturity, recorded $171.6 billion," the bank added.