Figure Watch

For all its woes, compounded by the impact of the economic sanctions as well as Moody8217;s downgrading, India8217;s macro-balances, at least as far as debt are concerned, remain quite stable. Indeed, its total debt to GDP is around 108 per cent, as compared to Thailand, Malaysia and Korea8217;s figure of around 240 per cent or thereabouts. Figures for external debt, especially that of the private sector, are also well within prudent limits for India.

Interestingly, the proportion of funds lent by banks for property purchase is also very low in India as compared to some of these countries 8212; 4 per cent of total bank lending is to this sector in India as against 12.6 per cent in Thailand, 19.7 per cent in Indonesia, and 26.2 per cent in Malaysia.