In the last forty years, over $3.5 billion in interest has been paid by Pakistan to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
This information came to light during a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro, on Thursday at the Parliament House. The Ministry of Finance provided details on the loans and repayments made to the IMF.
Officials from the Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Pakistan disclosed that Pakistan has paid over $3.60 billion in interest to the IMF, amounting to over Rs1,000 billion in Pakistani currency. Over the past 30 years, Pakistan has borrowed approximately $29 billion from the IMF and has repaid more than $21.72 billion.
In the last four years alone, Pakistan borrowed over $6.26 billion from the IMF and repaid $4.52 billion. Additionally, during this period, Pakistan paid over $1.10 billion in interest to the IMF.
In 2024, Pakistan borrowed $1.35 billion in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) from the IMF and repaid $646.69 million SDRs.