Situation report Latin America and the Caribbean economies: external debt 2011-2020

Abstract

This research is a comparative study regarding time series and trends of the external debt of 20 Latin American countries during the period from 2011 to 2020. In addition to analyzing the individual situation of the countries, group studies were carried out. Based on the latter, the economies are made up of aggregate values ​​based on three criteria: (i) size of economies -large, medium, small in Central America and the Caribbean, and small in South America-; (ii) subregions -Mexico, Central America-Caribbean-, Andean countries and Mercosur, and also Chile-; and (iii) membership in terms of economic integration treaties, -Central American Integration System (SICA), Pacific Alliance (AP) and Mercosur. It is evident that all economies increased their external debt. Those that did it in the greatest amount were Ecuador (250% increase) and Paraguay (211%). At the other extreme, the economies that observed their total external debts increase with minimum relative amounts were: Jamaica (6%) and Brazil (20%).