The Growing Debt Burden Chapter 12: The Growing Debt Burden The total public debt of Pakistan has risen to above Rs 51 trillion by end-June 2022. In effect, each citizen of Pakistan is carrying on his/her shoulders a debt of Rs 221,000. Five years ago, the public debt per capita was Rs 105,000. The size of the public debt in relation to the GDP now stands at 77 percent, as shown in Figure 12.1. Five years ago, it was 61 percent of the GDP. If the GDP had not been revised upwards by over 16 percent recently, the public debt would have been close to 89 percent of the GDP, with the prospect that it will approach 100 percent in the next few years. Figure 12.1: Level of Total Pakistan Debt, Public Debt and Government Debt (% of GDP) *Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation Act limit Source: SBP 117