Sri Lanka on edge as debt burden mounts

Hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka is facing its most serious financial crisis in years, raising doubts about its ability to pay its creditors.

On Tuesday, the island nation will repay US$500 million (RM2 billion) towards an international sovereign bond, the first tranche of a total of US$4.5 billion that it needs to pay back this year, to avoid the first default in its history.

Here are the key details about Sri Lanka's mounting debt problems .