Bulgaria's gross foreign debt reached 69.8143bn euros at the end of July, up 26.4% on a year earlier. Preliminary central bank figures put the sum at 56.1% of estimated GDP, up from 47.6% in July 2025, when debt stood at 55.2423bn euros.
The debt grew by 14.572bn euros over the year. The central bank says most of the rise in its own liabilities comes from how euro banknotes are shared out across the Eurosystem after Bulgaria joined the euro area on 1 January.
The central bank's own foreign liabilities reached 10.6042bn euros, or 8.5% of GDP, up from 1.8892bn euros and 1.6% of GDP a year earlier — a jump of 8.715bn euros.
The make-up of the debt has shifted too. Short-term debt now stands at 19.3626bn euros, or 27.7% of the total and 15.5% of GDP. A year earlier it was 9.2624bn euros, or 16.8% of the debt and 8% of GDP — a rise of 10.1003bn euros, or 109%.
Long-term debt comes to 50.4517bn euros, or 72.3% of the total and 40.5% of GDP. In July 2025 it stood at 45.9799bn euros, or 83.2% of the debt and 39.6% of GDP — a rise of 4.4718bn euros, or 9.7%.
Debt with more than a year left to run totals 40.3172bn euros, or 57.7% of gross foreign debt. Of that, 72.6% is in euros, down from 80% a year earlier.
Government debt still makes up the biggest share, at 27% of the total, though that's down from 32.2% a year earlier. It stands at 18.846bn euros, or 15.1% of GDP, up from 17.7952bn euros (15.3% of GDP) in July 2025 — a rise of 1.0508bn euros, or 5.9%.
Banks and money market funds owe 11.3979bn euros abroad, or 9.2% of GDP, up from 7.7116bn euros (6.6% of GDP) a year earlier — a rise of 3.6863bn euros, or 47.8%.
Debt held by other sectors stands at 14.8407bn euros (11.9% of GDP), up from 14.2541bn euros (12.3% of GDP) — a rise of 586.6m euros, or 4.1%.
Inter-company lending totals 14.1255bn euros, or 11.3% of GDP, up from 13.5922bn euros (11.7% of GDP) at the end of July last year — a rise of 533.3m euros, or 3.9%.