Federal government debt rose by Rs18.143 trillion over the two-and-a-half years from March 2024 to August 2026, official State Bank of Pakistan (SBP — Pakistan’s central bank) figures show. That works out to roughly Rs20 billion added each day. By August 2026 the stock stood at Rs82.953 trillion, compared with Rs64.810 trillion in February 2024, the last full month of the caretaker administration.
Most of the increase was domestic. Central government domestic debt moved from Rs42.675 trillion in February 2024 to Rs58.757 trillion by August 2026 — a rise of Rs16.082 trillion. External debt, measured in rupees, went from Rs22.134 trillion to Rs24.196 trillion over the same span. The rupee–dollar parity used in the comparison was Rs279.2165 in February 2024 and Rs277.4024 in August 2026.
How the stock compares across governments
The same dataset places a larger multi-year rise against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s two periods in office. Federal government debt increased by Rs37.307 trillion in just under four years across those tenures — more than double the Rs18.323 trillion rise recorded over nearly four years under the previous PTI government.
In his first stint, from April 2022 to July 2023 (about 16 months), federal debt rose by Rs18.764 trillion. In the first 29 months of the current term, from March 2024 to July 2026, it rose by more than Rs18.5 trillion again. Before the PTI government took office, federal debt was Rs24.690 trillion in July 2018; by July 2026 the figure cited for the federal stock was Rs83.883 trillion. That July 2026 level sits slightly above the August 2026 stock of Rs82.953 trillion reported for the same series — both figures appear in the official material, without a further breakdown of the month-to-month gap.
Public debt in 2026
Separately, total public debt — a wider measure than federal government debt alone — was put at Rs86.715 trillion in 2026, up 7.7 percent from Rs80.5 trillion in the same period a year earlier.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- July 2018: Federal government debt stood at Rs24.690 trillion before the PTI government took office.
- PTI period (nearly four years): Federal debt rose by Rs18.323 trillion.
- April 2022–July 2023: In Shehbaz Sharif’s first tenure (16 months), federal debt rose Rs18.764 trillion.
- February 2024: Stock at Rs64.810 trillion at the end of the caretaker period.
- March 2024–August 2026: Incumbent government’s term saw a further Rs18.143 trillion rise, to Rs82.953 trillion by August 2026.
- 2026 (year-on-year): Total public debt reached Rs86.715 trillion, up 7.7 percent from Rs80.5 trillion.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sarkar ka qarz pichhle dhai saalon mein lagbhag Rs18.14 trillion barh gaya hai. Ye rozana tareeqay se lagbhag Rs20 billion ke barabar hai. Ab federal qarz August 2026 tak Rs82.95 trillion ke qareeb hai. Zyada qarz ka matlab aksar ye hota hai ke sarkar ki sood ki adaygi bari rehti hai, jis se budget mein awami sahulaton aur investment ke liye kam gunjaish bachti hai.
