External balance on goods and services in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: External balance on goods and services was 3.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External balance on goods and services in Puerto Rico, 1971–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for external balance on goods and services in Puerto Rico is 3.3%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 63.8% on the previous year and down 87.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Puerto Rico peaked at 28.6% in 2003 and was at its lowest, -23.3%, in 1976.
That places Puerto Rico 54th out of 193 countries 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 Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | -19.2% | — |
| 1972 | -17.9% | -6.6% |
| 1973 | -14.7% | -17.8% |
| 1974 | -12.0% | -18.4% |
| 1975 | -22.1% | +84.1% |
| 1976 | -23.3% | +5.2% |
| 1977 | -16.4% | -29.4% |
| 1978 | -16.0% | -2.5% |
| 1979 | -10.6% | -33.7% |
| 1980 | -11.3% | +6.0% |
| 1981 | -7.2% | -36.2% |
| 1982 | 2.3% | -132.5% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -96.4% |
| 1984 | -2.0% | -2494.2% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | -206.6% |
| 1986 | 6.7% | +214.6% |
| 1987 | 5.6% | -16.4% |
| 1988 | 7.9% | +41.8% |
| 1989 | 8.2% | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 11.7% | +42.6% |
| 1991 | 16.8% | +43.3% |
| 1992 | 16.4% | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 9.2% | -43.6% |
| 1994 | 12.8% | +39.3% |
| 1995 | 11.7% | -8.8% |
| 1996 | 8.6% | -26.9% |
| 1997 | 5.3% | -38.0% |
| 1998 | 15.7% | +195.0% |
| 1999 | 16.6% | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 18.5% | +11.5% |
| 2001 | 25.6% | +38.5% |
| 2002 | 25.4% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 28.6% | +12.8% |
| 2004 | 20.1% | -29.6% |
| 2005 | 21.0% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 20.0% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 16.5% | -17.8% |
| 2008 | 20.3% | +23.4% |
| 2009 | 20.9% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 21.2% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 19.5% | -7.8% |
| 2012 | 11.6% | -40.7% |
| 2013 | 16.8% | +45.3% |
| 2014 | 19.3% | +14.3% |
| 2015 | 25.5% | +32.5% |
| 2016 | 27.2% | +6.8% |
| 2017 | 24.3% | -10.7% |
| 2018 | 13.9% | -42.8% |
| 2019 | 13.6% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 17.2% | +26.5% |
| 2021 | 12.1% | -29.7% |
| 2022 | 6.6% | -45.1% |
| 2023 | 5.6% | -15.1% |
| 2024 | 9.1% | +62.1% |
| 2025 | 3.3% | -63.8% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's 3.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.2%, 1.5× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's 3.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is -2.1%. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External balance on goods and services in Puerto Rico 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | -2494.2% | 0.1% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -16.9% | -23.3% | -10.6% | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.3% | -11.3% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.5% | 5.3% | 16.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.7% | 16.5% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 11.6% | 27.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.0% | 3.3% | 17.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
- 51 Spain 3.8% compare
- 52 Ecuador 3.5% compare
- 53 Faroe Islands 3.4% compare
- 55 Poland 2.9% compare
- 56 Hong Kong, China 2.9% compare
- 57 Russian Federation 2.7% compare
More economy & growth data for Puerto Rico
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) -2.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.077 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 3,127 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) -2.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU), per 0.077 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU), per 3,127 current LCU per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.2423 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.0741 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 3,010 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 4.79 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Puerto Rico?
- External balance on goods and services in Puerto Rico was 3.3% 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 Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 28.6% in 2003.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was -23.3% in 1976.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Puerto Rico ranks 54th out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 87.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Puerto Rico 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.