Sri Lanka’s external debt reached USD 37.5 billion as of June 2024, according to the Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report. In the first half of 2024, debt service payments amounted to USD 503 million, comprising USD 275.1 million in principal and USD 227.9 million in interest.

As part of its interim debt standstill policy, the government suspended external debt servicing on loans from bilateral and commercial creditors starting April 12, 2022. By June 2024, this standstill had led to an accumulation of USD 8.19 billion in unpaid debt service, with USD 5.67 billion in principal and USD 2.52 billion in interest.