Belize: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Belize's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) rose 2.23 percentage points on 2016 (from -3.4% to -1.16%).

Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2016), the average change was −0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.06 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.78 percentage points in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.71 percentage points in 1991. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.26 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 45% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Belize in the 2017 ranking

• Afghanistan — 1st of 4: 0.36%
• St. Lucia — 2nd of 4: -0.86%
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 4th of 4: -1.54%

What this measures

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad. 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.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 28 values

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 0.08% (2024)
• Bahamas, The — -1.23% (2024)
• Barbados — -4.15% (2016)
• Brazil — -5.69% (2024)
• Chile — -2.79% (2024)
• Colombia — -4.64% (2024)
• Costa Rica — -0.51% (2024)
• Dominican Republic — -2.89% (2024)
• Ecuador — -0.00622% (2022)
• El Salvador — -2.06% (2024)

More public sector data for Belize

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 33.32 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 66.63 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 2,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.32% (2020)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 148.91 million (2017)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 3.29% (2017)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -52.73 million (2017)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 141.37 million (2017)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Belize's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP)?

-1.16% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 0.7 percentage points from -0.46% in 1990. The highest value was 0.66% in 2007 and the lowest -7.85% in 2001.

Is the latest change in net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) unusual for Belize?

In 2017, Belize's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) rose 2.23 percentage points on 2016 (from -3.4% to -1.16%). Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2016), the average change was −0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.06 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.NLD.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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