Central government debt, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Central government debt, total was 70.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Central government debt, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 2019–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 70.3% for central government debt, total in 2024.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Central government debt, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 70.7% | — |
| 2020 | 77.7% | +9.8% |
| 2021 | 69.1% | -11.1% |
| 2022 | 66.3% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 69.2% | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 70.3% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 70.7% | 70.7% | 70.7% | 1 |
| 2020s | 70.5% | 66.3% | 77.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 1 Singapore 167.8% compare
- 2 United Kingdom 130.7% compare
- 3 Barbados 125.0%
- 4 United States 115.8% compare
- 5 Bahrain 111.6%
- 6 Bhutan 111.0%
More economy & growth data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 4.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 1,700 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 2.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.136 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 1,472 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 7,460 current US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 0.5831 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 2.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.157 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 0.6893 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Central government debt, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 70.3% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 77.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.3% in 2022.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for central government debt, total?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 3rd out of 7 groups with data for 2024.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.