Bulgaria's Gross External Debt stood at approximately EUR 42,410 million by the end of October 2023, marking a 3.7% decrease from the same period in 2022, according to data released by the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB).

Short-term liabilities, constituting about 16.9% of the gross debt and 7.5% of GDP, saw a notable decline of EUR 1,633 million compared to October 2022. Meanwhile, long-term liabilities accounted for 83.1% of the gross debt, with an increase of EUR 7.1 million from the previous year.

The General Government's gross external debt climbed to EUR 8,941 million, marking a 7.1% increase from the previous year, equivalent to 9.4% of GDP. Additionally, the central bank's external liabilities decreased by 3.6%, reaching EUR 2,072 million or 2.2% of GDP.

Other monetary financial institutions reported external liabilities of nearly EUR 5,631 million, showing an 11% decrease from a year ago. External liabilities of other sectors also declined by 12%, totaling EUR 11,411 million.

Intercompany lending represented the largest share, accounting for 33.8% of the external debt, slightly higher than the previous year's 32.4%. It amounted to EUR 14,355 million, marking a minor decrease of 0.8% from the prior year.