New Delhi: India’s external debt pegged at $ 620.7 billion as at end-March-2022, grew by 8.2 per cent over $ 573.7 billon as at end-March 2021. While 53.2 per cent of it was denominated in US dollar, Indian rupee denominated debt, estimated at 31.2 per cent, was the second largest.

The External Debt Management Unit (EDMU) in the Department of economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on Monday released 28th edition of the Status Report on India’s External Debt 2021-22.

External debt as a ratio to GDP fell marginally to 19.9 per cent as at end-March 2022 from 21.2 per cent a year ago. Foreign currency reserves as a ratio to external debt stood slightly lower at 97.8 per cent as at end-March 2022 than 100.6 per cent a year ago.

The long-term debt, estimated at $ 499.1 billion, constituted the largest chunk of 80.4 per cent, while the short-term debt, at $ 121.7 billion, accounted for 19.6 per cent of the total. The short-term trade credit was predominantly in the form of trade credit (96 per cent) financing imports.

Commercial borrowings (CBs), NRIs deposits, short-term trade credit and multilateral loans together accounted for 90 per cent of the total external debt. While NRI deposits marginally contracted during end-March 2021 and end-March 2022, CBs, short-term trade credit and multilateral loans, on the other hand, expanded during the same period.

The rise in CBs, short-term trade credit and multilateral loans together was significantly larger than the contraction in NRI deposits. As at end-March 2022, sovereign external debt (SED) amounted to $ 130.7 billion, increasing by 17.1 per cent over the level a year ago, reflecting the additional allocation of SDRs by the IMF during 2021-22.

SDRs rose to $ 22.9 billion from $ 5.5 billion as at end-March 2021. FPI holding of G-Sec, on the other hand, slid to $ 19.5 billion from $ 20.4 billion a year ago. Non-sovereign external debt, estimated at $ 490.0 billion as at end-March 2022, posted a growth of 6.1 per cent over the level a year ago.

CBs, NRI deposits, and short-term trade credit accounted for about 95 per cent of non-sovereign debt. The short-term trade credit rose substantially by 20.7 per cent to US$ 117.4 billion as at end-March 2022 on the back of a surge in imports during 2021-22.

The debt service ratio fell to 5.2 per cent during 2021-22 from 8.2 per cent during 2020-21 due to buoyancy in current receipts and a decline in debt service payments. The debt service payment obligations, arising out of the stock of external debt as at end-March 2022, are projected to trend downwards over the coming years.

In a cross-country perspective, India’s external debt is modest, occupying 23th position globally. In terms of various debt vulnerability indicators, India’s sustainability was better than the Low-and-Middle Income Countries (LMICs) as a group and vis-à-vis many of them individually.