Egypt’s external debt reaches $161.2B end-June: CBE
Updated 12/7/2025 12:04:00 PMArab Finance: Egypt’s external debt increased to $161.2 billion at the end of the previous fiscal year (FY) 2024/2025, rising by about $8.3 billion, or 5.5%, compared with the end of FY 2023/2024, according to the Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) External Position of the Egyptian Economy 2024/2025 report.
The CBE said the debt remained within manageable levels, with a stock-to-GDP ratio of 44.2% and long-term liabilities accounting for 80.8% of the total.
The weighted average of the USD in the Egyptian inter-bank market appreciated by 3.3% during FY 2024/2025, reaching EGP 49.5971 by the end of June 2025 compared with EGP 48.0303 a year earlier.
Egypt’s balance of payments showed improved performance during FY 2024/2025, with the current account deficit narrowing by 25.9% to $15.4 billion, down from $20.8 billion in the previous year.
The adjustment resulted from stronger external transactions, particularly in the second half (H2) of the FY.
Between January and June 2025, the current account deficit fell by 59.9% compared with the same period a year earlier, supported by a 55.3% increase in remittances from Egyptians abroad and a 49.6% rise in the services surplus as tourism revenues grew by 21%.
Non-oil merchandise exports rose by 38.9%, reducing the non-oil trade deficit, while the investment income deficit declined slightly.
The capital and financial account recorded net inflows of $10.2 billion during the year, compared with $29.9 billion a year earlier.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) registered net inflows of $12.2 billion, down from $46.1 billion, which had included $35 billion in exceptional receipts from the Ras El Hekma transaction.
Portfolio investment inflows reached $1.6 billion, compared with $14.5 billion in the previous year.
The balance of payments ended the FY with an overall deficit of $2.1 billion, compared with a surplus of $9.7 billion a year earlier, reflecting ongoing current account improvements and the absence of one-off inflows seen previously.
Egypt’s net international investment position (NIIP) recorded net external liabilities of $293.6 billion at the end of June 2025, up from $281.6 billion a year earlier. The shift resulted from increases in both external assets and liabilities.
Net international reserves (NIR) rose by $2.3 billion to $48.7 billion at the end of June 2025, covering 6.4 months of merchandise imports.
The increase reflected higher gold holdings, which rose by $4.1 billion, while foreign currency assets declined by $1.8 billion.
By the end of September 2025, reserves had reached $49.5 billion, equivalent to 6.5 months of import coverage.
Banks’ net foreign assets increased by $2.1 billion during FY 2024/2025.
Foreign currency deposits at banks grew by 18.5% to $62.3 billion at the end of June 2025, accounting for 26.4% of total deposits.
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