Panama is the Latin American country with the highest foreign debt in relation to its gross domestic product (GDP). The total debt held by Panama's central government to foreign creditors represented over 50 percent of the country's GDP in 2022. Nicaragua ranked second among the countries shown in this statistic, with an external debt equivalent to 40.5 percent of its GDP.

In 2022, it was estimated that public debt in Latin American and the Caribbean countries would represent over 69 percent of the region's total gross domestic product (GDP). Overall, the public debt-to-GDP ratio in he region has grown constantly from 2012 until 2022.

As 2022, Argentina was the Latin American country with the highest central government debt in relation to its gross domestic product (GDP). The volume of debt held by Argentina's central government represented nearly 85 percent of the country's GDP. Among the countries shown in this graph, Brazil had the fourth-highest share, with 71.7 percent. Based on public debt value, Brazil is among the most indebted Latin American countries.

This database compiles up-to-date standardized statistics on sovereign debt issuances for the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region and contains biannual data starting in 2006 through December 2022. Sovereign debt data is classified by legislation, creditor, currency, and maturity amongst others for 26 countries. The availability of valid, comparable, and standardized public debt data is essential for the implementation of sound policies in LAC countries. This is why at the core of the LAC Debt Group initiative is the development of a standardized sovereign debt database to help debt managers, policymakers, and other actors of financial markets analyze the evolution and composition of public debt in the region and conduct cross-country comparisons. The information of this database is provided by the public debt offices of LAC countries in response to a questionnaire specifically designed to allow comparability of data. The questionnaire, whose response is non-compulsory, is intended to compile up-to-date standardized statistics for objective and homogeneous definitions of public debt.

This database compiles up-to-date standardized statistics on sovereign debt issuances for the LAC region and contains biannual data starting in 2006 through to June 2022. Sovereign Debt Data is classified by legislation, creditor, currency, and maturity amongst others for 26 countries. The availability of valid, comparable, and standardized public debt data is essential for the implementation of sound policies in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This is why at the core of the LAC Debt Group initiative is the development of a standardized sovereign debt database to help debt managers, policymakers, and other actors of financial markets analyze the evolution and composition of public debt in LAC and conduct cross-country comparisons. The information of this database is provided by the public debt offices of LAC countries in response to a questionnaire specifically designed to allow comparability of data. The questionnaire, whose response is non-compulsory, is intended to compile up-to-date standardized statistics for objective and homogeneous definitions of public debt.

La moyenne pour 2022 était de 54.25 pour cent. La valeur la plus élevée était au Argentine: 85 pour cent et la valeur la plus basse était au Porto Rico: 16.73 pour cent. Vous trouverez ci-dessous un graphique pour tous les pays où les données sont disponibles.

Whereas the mix of creditors of external public debt to African countries was quite evenly divided, the majority of creditors in Asia and Oceania as well as Latin America and the Caribbean were private. An overreliance on private creditors can pose challenges as countries need to negotiate terms with a broad range of individual creditors. Moreover, private creditors tend to be more safety averse, pulling out funds in times of crises, i.e., during times when funds are most needed.

In December 2022, the amount of debt held by Colombia's nonfinancial public sector to creditors based in the country represented 37.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), down from 40.2 at the end of 2021. The lowest level was registered in 2012, year in which it stood at 26.4 percent.