Over five years, the external debt of Central Asian countries increased by 34.9%, excluding Turkmenistan. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
According to data from the CIS Statistical Committee and the Eurasian Economic Commission, as of the end of last year, the external debt of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan reached approximately $290.8 billion.
Last year, Kazakhstan's debt to other countries increased by 10.4%.
Uzbekistan's external debt has grown at a record pace in recent years, including by the end of 2025. Last year, the country increased this indicator by 26% to $89.6 billion. Compared to data from five years ago, the increase was 2.5 times.
In Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the growth of international debt has been moderate in recent years. For example, in Kyrgyzstan last year, debt to other states increased by only 0.5% to $12.4 billion.
Among the four Central Asian countries, Tajikistan has the smallest external debt. Data for Turkmenistan are not provided.