World Bank warns debt payment to exports ratio highest in Pakistan, Sri Lanka

While some countries experience a solid rebound in GDP growth, Afghanistan faces a humanitarian crisis, Pakistan a political crisis, and Sri Lanka a balance-of-payments crisis

PGurus Newsdesk

April 15, 2022

While some countries experience a solid rebound in GDP growth, Afghanistan faces a humanitarian crisis, Pakistan a political crisis, and Sri Lanka a balance-of-payments crisis

Pakistan, Sri Lanka highest on account of external debt repayment ratio to exports

The World Bank (WB) has warned that Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the highest on account of external debt repayment ratio to exports and remittances in the South Asian region.

The World Bank also improved Pakistan’s GDP growth prospects up to 4.3 percent from the earlier projection of 3.4 for the current fiscal year and 4 percent for the next fiscal year 2022-23.

The World Bank’s report titled ‘The South Asia Economic Focus, Reshaping Norms: A New Way Forward’ was launched on Wednesday. The reports stated, “Indicators of ability to pay, such as the ratio of public external debt service to exports and remittances, is the highest in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The situation is especially worrisome in Sri Lanka, where heightened fiscal and external risks led to a series of sovereign credit rating downgrades, preventing market-based refinancing.”

Hans Timmer, World Bank’s Chief Economist for South Asia, in an online briefing said that Pakistan would have to curtail its yawning budget deficit and current account deficit for achieving consolidation of the economy. Pakistan’s debt repayment capacity is not vulnerable but medium to long-term, Islamabad would have to narrow down its twin deficits, Hans Timmer added.

While some countries experience a solid rebound in GDP growth, Afghanistan faces a humanitarian crisis, Pakistan a political crisis, and Sri Lanka a balance-of-payments crisis. While high-skilled workers retained jobs during the pandemic or found new opportunities, only some unskilled migrant workers have returned to jobs in the cities. Moreover, men have been able to find new job opportunities more quickly than women.

“Energy subsidies as a percent of GDP are the highest in Pakistan, which means that the price increase in international markets potentially poses a tough fiscal challenge,” the World Bank report added.

[With Inputs from IANS]

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