Overview
- The Reserve Bank of India released data on Monday showing external debt at $762.8 billion at end‑March 2026, up $26.3 billion from a year earlier.
- A $24.6 billion valuation gain from US dollar appreciation inflated the headline figure and excluding that effect the underlying increase was about $51.0 billion year‑on‑year.
- Long‑term debt rose to $613.5 billion while the share of short‑term debt by original maturity climbed to 19.6%, and short‑term debt relative to FX reserves reached 21.6%.
- US dollar‑denominated liabilities accounted for 55.5% of external debt and loans were the largest instrument at 34.7%, while measured debt service fell to 5.8% of current receipts.
- The mix of higher short‑term obligations and sizable dollar exposure sharpens rollover and currency‑mismatch risks, so markets and policymakers will watch reserve cover and near‑term repayments closely.