Nigeria’s public debt rises to N166.8trn in three months

Nigeria’s total public debt rose to N166.79 trillion as of June 30, 2026, representing a N7.44 trillion increase within three months, according to the Debt Management Office.

The DMO, in its latest public debt portfolio report released on Friday, said the debt stock increased by 4.7 per cent from N159.35 trillion recorded at the end of the first quarter of 2026.

The latest figure also represents a N14.39 trillion, or 9.4 per cent, increase from the N152.4 trillion recorded in June 2025.

Domestic debt accounted for N91.59 trillion, representing 54.91 per cent of the total debt, while external debt stood at N75.2 trillion, or 45.09 per cent.

According to the DMO, domestic debt increased by N11.04 trillion, or 13.7 per cent, from N80.55 trillion recorded in June 2025.

External debt also rose by N3.35 trillion, representing a 4.7 per cent increase from N71.85 trillion recorded during the same period.

The Federal Government accounted for N152.77 trillion of the total debt stock, comprising N86.99 trillion in domestic debt and N65.77 trillion in external obligations.

States and the Federal Capital Territory accounted for the remaining N14.01 trillion, made up of N4.59 trillion in domestic debt and N9.42 trillion in external debt.

In dollar terms, Nigeria’s total public debt stood at $120.93 billion as of June 30, 2026, compared with $99.66 billion recorded in June 2025.

The DMO said the external debt component was converted using the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official exchange rate of N1,379 to the dollar as of June 30, 2026.