External balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: External balance on goods and services was -0.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded -0.3% for external balance on goods and services in 2025.
That represents a change of down 138.9% on the previous year and up 75.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 3.4% in 1985 and was at its lowest, -3.5%, in 1975.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 25th 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, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -0.5% | — |
| 1961 | -0.1% | -82.0% |
| 1962 | -1.2% | +1372.9% |
| 1963 | 0.2% | -117.5% |
| 1964 | -0.6% | -377.4% |
| 1965 | 0.4% | -163.3% |
| 1966 | -0.4% | -215.0% |
| 1967 | -0.7% | +69.4% |
| 1968 | -1.4% | +96.0% |
| 1969 | -1.3% | -5.1% |
| 1970 | -1.5% | +14.8% |
| 1971 | -2.3% | +52.7% |
| 1972 | -2.0% | -13.4% |
| 1973 | -1.0% | -48.6% |
| 1974 | -1.9% | +83.2% |
| 1975 | -3.5% | +84.4% |
| 1976 | -2.4% | -30.7% |
| 1977 | -2.2% | -11.5% |
| 1978 | -2.6% | +18.7% |
| 1979 | -2.1% | -17.3% |
| 1980 | -2.3% | +10.3% |
| 1981 | -2.4% | +3.8% |
| 1982 | -0.6% | -76.6% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | -629.3% |
| 1984 | 3.3% | +10.4% |
| 1985 | 3.4% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | -59.1% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 1.7% | +23.2% |
| 1989 | 2.1% | +21.9% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | -28.6% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | -73.7% |
| 1992 | -0.8% | -311.6% |
| 1993 | -1.6% | +92.4% |
| 1994 | -1.8% | +14.4% |
| 1995 | -0.7% | -61.6% |
| 1996 | -0.9% | +36.2% |
| 1997 | -1.9% | +96.0% |
| 1998 | -2.2% | +15.9% |
| 1999 | -0.8% | -62.4% |
| 2000 | -0.8% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | -0.5% | -43.1% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | -330.2% |
| 2003 | 2.1% | +88.8% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | -39.8% |
| 2008 | -0.3% | -121.4% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | -364.1% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -72.4% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -47.7% |
| 2012 | -0.4% | -504.2% |
| 2013 | -1.7% | +282.4% |
| 2014 | -1.0% | -40.6% |
| 2015 | -1.2% | +16.8% |
| 2016 | -0.3% | -78.2% |
| 2017 | -0.2% | -33.9% |
| 2018 | -0.7% | +299.8% |
| 2019 | -0.3% | -57.0% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | -299.0% |
| 2021 | -1.0% | -276.4% |
| 2022 | -1.9% | +87.8% |
| 2023 | -0.4% | -81.4% |
| 2024 | -0.1% | -66.4% |
| 2025 | -0.3% | +138.9% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | -1372.9% | -0.1% | -1.2% |
| 1983 | +629.3% | -0.6% | 3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -0.6% | -1.4% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | -2.2% | -3.5% | -1.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.1% | -2.4% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.9% | -2.2% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | -0.8% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.5% | -1.7% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.5% | -1.9% | 0.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 22 Netherlands 11.2% compare
- 23 Denmark 11.0% compare
- 24 Switzerland 8.9% compare
- 25 Peru 8.1% compare
- 26 Aruba 7.8% compare
- 27 South Sudan 7.8% compare
- 28 Zambia 7.4% compare
More economy & growth data for Latin America & Caribbean
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 1,502 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 1,782 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 2.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 60.29 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.1354 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 0.6869 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 2.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 7,621 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.1607 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 4.28 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean?
- External balance on goods and services in Latin America & Caribbean was -0.3% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 1985.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.5% in 1975.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 25th out of 44 groups with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.