Croatia's public debt, which includes the foreign and domestic debt of central government, extra-budgetary funds and local government, reached HRK 181.6 billion at the end of March 2013, or 53.6% of GDP, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Finance.
Public debt at the end of March was HRK 240 million higher than at the end of February, while compared to the end of 2012 it was up HRK 4.2 billion, or 2.3%, the Ministry says in its latest Monthly Statistical Review.
The public debt increase in the first quarter of the year was mainly fuelled by central government, which during that period had increased its debt by HRK 3.9 billion, or 2.4%. Thus central government debt at the end of March totalled HRK 169.8 billion.
The foreign debt of central government was HRK 61.3 billion, an increase of HRK 855.1 million, or 1.4% in relation to December 2012. Domestic debt rose by HRK 3.1 billion, or nearly 3%, to HRK 108.5 billion.
The foreign and domestic debt of extra-budgetary funds amounted to HRK 9.8 billion at the end of March, up HRK 182.5 million or 1.9% from December. At the same time the total debt of local government went up by 1.4%, or HRK 27.6 million, to HRK 1.95 billion.
The Croatian National Bank warned in its latest bulletin that public debt could reach HRK 199 billion, or nearly 60% of GDP, by the end of the year.
