Moldova’s gross external debt increased by 1.8% compared to the end of 2022, totaling US$9.763.88 billion at the end of the third quarter of this year. The gross external debt-to-GDP ratio was 62.4%, by 3.7 percentage points lower than on December 31, 2022, IPN reports, with reference to provisional data of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM).

The public external debt accounted for 34.3% of the total external debt, amounting to US$3.347.51 billion (+2.6% compared to the end of 2022). The private external debt was US$6.416.37 billion (+1.4%).

“The implicit average maturity of the long-term external debt in the form of loans has decreased. This indicator is correlated with the evolution of the financing renewal rate, which declined in the third quarter of this year. This is due to the increase in repayments of previously attracted loans, remaining at a high level as a result of the ongoing process of attracting external financing, but with a pronounced downward trend,” the NBM said.

The International Monetary Fund is the main creditor of the state, being followed by the World Bank Group and the European Investment Bank.

Preliminary data show the current account deficit of the balance of payments of the Republic of Moldova in the third quarter of 2023 decreased by 4.8% compared to the third quarter of 2022 and totaled US$599.24 million. The ratio of the current account deficit to the GDP was 13.3%, by 2.1 percentage points lower than in the third quarter of 2022. According to the NBM, the diminution of the negative balance of the current account was due to the decrease in the deficit of foreign trade in goods, but also to the decrease in secondary income surpluses, the balance of services and primary incomes.