Ljubljana - Slovenia's gross external debt totalled EUR 50.8 billion at the end of December 2021, the equivalent of 108.3% of GDP at current prices, as gross external claims amounted to EUR 51.2 billion, data from the central bank shows.

Gross external debt - the portion of the country's debt that is borrowed from foreign lenders - was thus EUR 3 billion higher than in the same period a year ago.

The increase was mostly due to heavier borrowing by the central bank, companies affiliated with subjects abroad and non-financial companies. The government's external debt declined by a good EUR 2 billion.

A bit less than half of the external debt was that of the general government with just over a fifth (21.5%) being the debt of commercial banks and the central bank, the report from Banka Slovenije says.

At EUR 51.2 billion external claims were up by EUR 3.2 billion compared with the end of 2020.

The current account surplus in 2021 was EUR 1.7 billion, just below half of the surplus in 2020. The surplus in goods trade decreased by EUR 1.9 billion and the surplus in trade of services increased by EUR 388 million.