Ankara: The Turkish central government's gross debt stock reached 9.9 trillion Turkish liras, equivalent to $272.2 billion, by the end of February, according to official figures released on Thursday.

According to Anadolu Agency, data from the Treasury and Finance Ministry revealed a significant increase of 36.9% in the debt stock compared to the same period last year. The gross debt stock comprises the outstanding debt of various sectors, including public sector institutions, the Central Bank, private companies, and households.

The report highlighted that approximately 45% of the total debt stock is denominated in Turkey's local currency, while the remaining portion is in foreign currency. The figures further detailed that 4.48 trillion Turkish liras ($123 billion) of the debt was domestic, whereas 5.42 trillion liras ($148.9 billion) accounted for external debt.