Arab Finance: Egypt’s total government debt hit EGP 17.850 trillion in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, up 8.8% from EGP 16.411 trillion in Q4 2025, according to official data from the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.

Gross domestic debt rose 7.1% to EGP 13.675 trillion in Q1 2026, compared to EGP 12.772 trillion at the end of December 2025.

Short-term domestic debt increased by 19.4% to EGP 12.240 trillion from EGP 10.247 trillion in Q4 2025.

Likewise, medium-term debt surged 45.9% to EGP 446.392 billion at the end of March 2026 from EGP 305.905 billion in the previous quarter.

On the other hand, long-term domestic debt fell 55.4% in Q1 2026, reaching EGP 989.117 billion, down from EGP 2.218 trillion in Q4 2025.

Last September, the Institute of International Finance’s (IIF) noted in its Global Debt Monitor report that Egypt’s government debt rose to 79.7% of gross domestic product (GDP) in Q2 2026, from 78.3% in the same period a year earlier. The figure exceeded the average government debt-to-GDP ratio of 76.8% across emerging markets and 62.2% in Africa.