External debt stocks in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): External debt stocks was 34.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
External debt stocks in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 1970–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of GNI.
Analysis
The most recent figure for external debt stocks in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) is 34.5%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 56.8% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 19.9%, in 1974.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
External debt stocks in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of GNI | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 21.1% | — |
| 1971 | 21.1% | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 22.4% | +6.4% |
| 1973 | 20.2% | -10.0% |
| 1974 | 19.9% | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 22.5% | +12.8% |
| 1976 | 24.9% | +11.0% |
| 1977 | 29.4% | +18.0% |
| 1978 | 29.2% | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 31.2% | +7.0% |
| 1980 | 31.9% | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 33.9% | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 42.7% | +25.9% |
| 1983 | 53.0% | +24.1% |
| 1984 | 51.3% | -3.2% |
| 1985 | 54.4% | +6.2% |
| 1986 | 56.7% | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 56.8% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 49.8% | -12.3% |
| 1989 | 42.9% | -13.9% |
| 1990 | 42.0% | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 40.0% | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 37.5% | -6.3% |
| 1993 | 33.9% | -9.6% |
| 1994 | 31.4% | -7.2% |
| 1995 | 33.3% | +6.0% |
| 1996 | 31.6% | -5.3% |
| 1997 | 30.5% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 34.5% | +13.2% |
| 1999 | 41.0% | +18.8% |
| 2000 | 36.4% | -11.3% |
| 2001 | 38.3% | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 42.1% | +10.1% |
| 2003 | 43.7% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 38.9% | -10.9% |
| 2005 | 29.5% | -24.2% |
| 2006 | 25.2% | -14.7% |
| 2007 | 24.0% | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 21.8% | -9.1% |
| 2009 | 24.6% | +12.6% |
| 2010 | 23.2% | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 22.4% | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 25.4% | +13.5% |
| 2013 | 27.6% | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 30.4% | +10.1% |
| 2015 | 36.4% | +20.0% |
| 2016 | 38.5% | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 36.5% | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 40.2% | +10.3% |
| 2019 | 41.8% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 49.7% | +19.1% |
| 2021 | 44.0% | -11.6% |
| 2022 | 38.6% | -12.3% |
| 2023 | 35.4% | -8.2% |
| 2024 | 34.5% | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24.2% | 19.9% | 31.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 47.3% | 31.9% | 56.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.6% | 30.5% | 42.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.4% | 21.8% | 43.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.2% | 22.4% | 41.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.4% | 34.5% | 49.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
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 debt stocks in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- External debt stocks in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 34.5% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest external debt stocks recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 56.8% in 1987.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.9% in 1974.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for external debt stocks?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 5th out of 12 groups with data for 2024.
- Is external debt stocks rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of External debt stocks (% of GNI). 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
Total external debt stocks to gross national income. Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. GNI (formerly GNP) is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad.