Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) vs United States: Central government debt, total

Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
70.4%
in 2024
United States
115.8%
in 2024
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank
2nd
United States rank
4th

Central government debt, total over time

  • Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
  • United States
406080100120198920062024

How they compare

United States currently reports 115.8% against 70.4% in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), a difference of 45.4%.

That makes United States's figure about 1.6 times Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)'s.

Across all 6 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.

Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 2nd and United States ranks 4th of 7 groups.

United States has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) United States Difference Ahead
2010s 71.0% 100.2% 29.2% United States
2020s 70.7% 117.2% 46.5% United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher central government debt, total, Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) or United States?
United States, at 115.8% against 70.4% in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) as of 2024.
What is the difference in central government debt, total between Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) and United States?
45.4%, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) and United States?
6 years are reported by both, from 2019 to 2024.
How do Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) and United States rank globally for central government debt, total?
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 2nd and United States ranks 4th of 7 groups.
Where does this data come from?
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Central government debt, total (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) vs United States: Central government debt, total. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/central-government-debt-total-percent-of-gdp/latin-america-and-caribbean-excluding-high-income/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Central government debt, total (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
90 places, 1,726 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.