According to preliminary data from the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), Bulgaria's gross external debt amounted to ?49.019 billion at the end of December 2024. This represents an 8.7% increase year-on-year, or a rise of ?3.939 billion. In comparison, at the end of December 2023, the gross external debt stood at ?45.079 billion.

As of the end of 2024, the gross external debt equaled 47.9% of the country's projected Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared to 47.6% a year earlier.

At the end of December 2024, short-term liabilities amounted to ?9.444 billion (19.3% of total debt, 9.2% of GDP), marking an increase of ?1.013 billion (12%) compared to December 2023 (?8.431 billion, 18.7% of total debt, and 8.9% of GDP).

Long-term liabilities stood at ?39.574 billion (80.7% of total debt, 38.7% of GDP) by the end of December 2024, increasing by ?2.926 billion (8%) compared to the end of December 2023 (?36.648 billion, 81.3% of total debt, and 38.7% of GDP).

By the end of December 2024, ?30.027 billion (61.3%) of the gross external debt had a residual maturity of more than one year. Debt denominated in euros accounted for 77.9% of the gross external liabilities, compared to 80.4% a year earlier.

The gross external debt of the "General Government" sector reached ?12.933 billion (12.6% of GDP) at the end of December 2024. Compared to December 2023 (?10.934 billion, 11.5% of GDP), it increased by ?1.999 billion (18.3%).

The external liabilities of the Central Bank amounted to ?1.965 billion (1.9% of GDP), decreasing by ?103.6 million (5%) compared to December 2023 (?2.068 billion, 2.2% of GDP).

The external liabilities of the "Other Monetary Financial Institutions" sector were ?8.393 billion (8.2% of GDP), marking an increase of ?1.591 billion (23.4%) compared to December 2023 (?6.801 billion, 7.2% of GDP).

The external liabilities of the "Other Sectors" category stood at ?12.559 billion (12.3% of GDP), increasing by ?328.2 million (2.7%) compared to the same period of the previous year (?12.231 billion, 12.9% of GDP).

Intercompany lending amounted to ?13.166 billion (12.9% of GDP) at the end of December 2024, which is ?124.1 million (1%) more than at the end of December 2023 (?13.042 billion, 13.8% of GDP). It remains the largest component of the external debt structure, representing 26.9% of total external debt at the end of 2024, compared to 28.9% in December 2023.