Dhaka, July 28 -- Bangladesh's foreign debt servicing bill has crossed $4 billion for the first time in the fiscal year 2024-25, marking a sharp rise in repayment pressure as external aid commitments continue to fall.

The country paid just over $4 billion in the recently concluded fiscal year, a 21 percent jump from $3.37 billion the year before, according to provisional data from the Economic Relations Division (ERD) released on Sunday.

The growing strain of these repayments comes as Bangladesh receives less foreign assistance than in previous years, compounding concerns over its external financial position.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's overall external debt rose by around 6.0 per cent to US$104.76 billion in March 2025, which was around $...