Public debt up to JD26b at Q3 end

AMMAN — The Kingdom's total public debt reached JD26.046 billion by the end of September, or 95 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of JD27.410 billion, Finance Ministry figures showed.

The government-guaranteed debts of the state-run National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) and the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) stood alone at some JD6.6 billion by the end of the third quarter.

The public debt in the same period of 2015 constituted 93.4 per cent of the Kingdom's GDP, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported, citing the ministry periodical report. 

The net public debt until September 30 this year went up by JD1.318 billion, or 8.5 per cent, from the end of last year. The ministry report said that the difference went to cover the deficit in the general budget and loans of NEPCO and WAJ.

The net domestic debt, including that of financially independent government agencies, in the first nine months of 2016 stood at JD14.717 billion, which equals 53.7 per cent of GDP as estimated by the end of September, compared with JD13.457 billion that equals 50.5 per cent in the entire 2015.