External balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): External balance on goods and services was -0.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) recorded -0.7% for external balance on goods and services in 2025.
That represents a change of down 18.3% on the previous year and up 57.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 3.6% in 1984 and was at its lowest, -3.0%, in 1975.
That places Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 28th out of 44 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -0.1% | — |
| 1961 | 0.3% | -423.4% |
| 1962 | -1.1% | -483.3% |
| 1963 | 0.4% | -137.1% |
| 1964 | -0.3% | -172.8% |
| 1965 | 0.6% | -320.3% |
| 1966 | -0.2% | -134.0% |
| 1967 | -0.4% | +73.1% |
| 1968 | -1.2% | +206.9% |
| 1969 | -1.1% | -6.8% |
| 1970 | -1.0% | -4.0% |
| 1971 | -1.7% | +67.8% |
| 1972 | -1.3% | -24.3% |
| 1973 | -0.5% | -60.2% |
| 1974 | -1.6% | +206.4% |
| 1975 | -3.0% | +86.2% |
| 1976 | -2.0% | -32.7% |
| 1977 | -1.7% | -13.8% |
| 1978 | -2.1% | +23.4% |
| 1979 | -1.7% | -21.5% |
| 1980 | -1.9% | +11.1% |
| 1981 | -1.8% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | -0.5% | -71.5% |
| 1983 | 3.1% | -695.9% |
| 1984 | 3.6% | +16.0% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | -3.7% |
| 1986 | 1.2% | -66.0% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | +7.9% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | +38.6% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | -36.4% |
| 1991 | -0.2% | -116.2% |
| 1992 | -1.4% | +622.1% |
| 1993 | -1.8% | +29.5% |
| 1994 | -2.2% | +25.8% |
| 1995 | -1.0% | -53.5% |
| 1996 | -1.1% | +5.7% |
| 1997 | -1.9% | +79.0% |
| 1998 | -2.5% | +27.4% |
| 1999 | -1.4% | -44.2% |
| 2000 | -1.5% | +4.9% |
| 2001 | -1.4% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | -105.9% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | +924.4% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | +34.2% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | +10.1% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | -61.0% |
| 2008 | -0.6% | -232.9% |
| 2009 | -0.0% | -96.1% |
| 2010 | -0.4% | +1530.4% |
| 2011 | -0.2% | -38.1% |
| 2012 | -0.5% | +99.3% |
| 2013 | -1.9% | +289.8% |
| 2014 | -1.3% | -32.9% |
| 2015 | -1.7% | +32.9% |
| 2016 | -0.9% | -48.8% |
| 2017 | -0.7% | -22.6% |
| 2018 | -0.9% | +31.5% |
| 2019 | -0.5% | -42.9% |
| 2020 | -0.1% | -83.6% |
| 2021 | -1.4% | +1558.6% |
| 2022 | -2.1% | +48.1% |
| 2023 | -0.6% | -70.5% |
| 2024 | -0.6% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | -0.7% | +18.3% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -1558.6% | -0.1% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | -1530.4% | -0.0% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | +924.4% | 0.1% | 0.9% |
| 1983 | +695.9% | -0.5% | 3.1% |
| 1992 | -622.1% | -0.2% | -1.4% |
| 1962 | -483.3% | 0.3% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -0.3% | -1.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | -1.7% | -3.0% | -0.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | -1.9% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.2% | -2.5% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | -1.5% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.9% | -1.9% | -0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.9% | -2.1% | -0.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- 25 Peru 8.1% compare
- 26 Aruba 7.8% compare
- 27 South Sudan 7.8% compare
- 28 Zambia 7.4% compare
- 29 Azerbaijan 6.2% compare
- 30 Costa Rica 6.2% compare
- 31 Vietnam 6.2% compare
More economy & growth data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 7,260 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 2.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.138 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 1,436 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 4.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 0.6975 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 0.5838 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 4.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 6,076 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 1,706 current US$ per person (2025)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- External balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was -0.7% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest external balance on goods and services recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 1984.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.0% in 1975.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 28th out of 44 groups with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of External balance on goods and services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. 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.