WINDHOEK, Oct. 1– Namibia’s central government debt stock rose to 181.9 billion Namibian dollars (about 11 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of June, equivalent to 65.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the Bank of Namibia said Thursday.
The debt stock increased 6.1 percent year on year, mainly due to increased issuance of Treasury Bills and Internal Registered Stock, according to the central bank’s September 2026 Quarterly Bulletin. The debt-to-GDP ratio increased from 63.9 percent in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, it added.
Looking ahead, the total government debt stock is projected to average around 67 percent of GDP throughout the country’s Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period, the central bank said.
The increase in domestic debt was partly offset by a decline in the central government’s external debt, which the bank attributed to principal repayments on bilateral and multilateral loans as well as the appreciation of the U.S. dollar.
Meanwhile, government loan guarantees declined by 0.6 percentage points year on year to 2.5 percent of GDP at the end of June. The ratio remained well below the government’s ceiling of 10 percent of GDP, indicating relatively low contingent liability risk, the bank said.
According to the bulletin, Namibia’s economy expanded 4.8 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2026, accelerating from 3.1 percent in the preceding quarter, while annual GDP growth is projected at 2.1 percent for 2026. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
