The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Al-Alaq, revealed that Iraq's total internal and external debt amounts to approximately $150 billion, according to the latest official estimate of the state's financial obligations.
In response to a parliamentary question submitted by MP Raed Al-Maliki on Saturday (October 18, 2025), Al-Alaq explained that domestic debt has risen to approximately 91 trillion Iraqi dinars.
Meanwhile, external debt amounts to approximately $54 billion, indicating that $43 billion of this debt predates 2003, while debts incurred after 2003 are estimated at approximately $10 billion.
The governor pointed out that "the general budget deficit is very large and cannot be covered through loans or bond issuance, noting that the US Federal Reserve does not impose any restrictions on the use of Iraqi oil revenues."
He added that "Iraq owns $11 billion in bonds in the United States," explaining that these assets are managed within the framework of the Central Bank's fiscal policy and foreign reserves with the aim of maintaining monetary stability.
This statement comes amid the growing fiscal deficit and the difficulty of covering it through traditional debt instruments in Iraq.
Iraq's external and domestic debts rise by about $150 billion.
