India's external debt rose 2.4 percent or $5.3 billion to $229.9 billion for the fiscal ended March 31, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said Tuesday.
India, which has an external debt equivalent to 22 percent of its gross domestic product, was already the fifth most indebted country in the world in 2007, the central bank said in a statement.
The current account - which includes components like external trade deficit and remittances from overseas - had a deficit of $29.82 billion for last fiscal, compared to a deficit of $17.03 billion in the previous period.
The capital account - which comprises items like foreign investment, external loans and foreign assistance - had a surplus of $9.15 billion for 2008-09 compared to a surplus of $107.94 billion in the year-ago period.