Bangladesh's foreign debt decreased by $1.34 billion in the first three months of this year.

The county's total public and private sector debt stood at $99.30 billion as of March, according to data from the Bangladesh Bank.

The external debt crossed $100 billion for the first time in December last year.

At the end of March this year, the private sector's total debt stood at $20.29 billion, three percent lower than $20.94 billion in December last year.

Meanwhile, the government's foreign debt stood at $79 billion, down from $79.69 billion at the end of 2023.

In March, the private sector's short-term foreign debt reached $11.04 billion, a decrease of $750 million from $11.79 billion in December.

Meanwhile, the public sector's long-term external debt decreased to $91.53 billion in March from $92.56 billion in December.

Industry insiders said the private sector external debt decreased as borrowers were repaying existing loans due to the increased value of the US dollar against the taka and rising international loan interest rates.