Jamaica: Short-term debt (% of total external debt)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Jamaica's short-term debt (% of total external debt) fell 0.95 percentage points on 2023 (from 17.12% to 16.17%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.35 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.93 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.06 percentage points in 1977 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.5 percentage points in 2005. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.6 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 77% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 18.02% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 1.02%, against 1.78% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Jamaica had the 32nd highest value of the 118 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Jamaica in the 2024 ranking

• Georgia — 29th of 118: 18.8%
• Samoa — 30th of 118: 17.35%
• Cabo Verde — 31st of 118: 16.45%
• Indonesia — 33rd of 118: 15.47%
• Philippines — 34th of 118: 15.29%
• Djibouti — 35th of 118: 14.99%

What this measures

Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. 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.

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

All 55 values

Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 20.05% (2024)
• Belize — 0.84% (2024)
• Bolivia — 4.04% (2024)
• Brazil — 13.92% (2024)
• Colombia — 9.44% (2024)
• Dominica — 30.49% (2024)
• Dominican Republic — 7.78% (2024)
• Ecuador — 1.04% (2024)
• El Salvador — 10.61% (2024)
• Grenada — 1.82% (2024)

More economic policy & debt data for Jamaica

• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$6.3 billion (2025)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$6.3 billion (2025)
• Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (current US$) — US$19.27 billion (2025)
• Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (current LCU) — 3.07 trillion (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$22.7 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 3.61 trillion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$8,003 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 1.27 million (2025)
• GNI (current US$) — US$22.36 billion (2025)
• GNI (current LCU) — 3.56 trillion (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Jamaica's short-term debt (% of total external debt)?

16.17% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 16.17 percentage points from 0.0007% in 1970. The highest value was 19.45% in 1999 and the lowest 0% in 1971.

How does Jamaica rank?

32nd highest of 118 economies with data for 2024.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.DOD.DSTC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) 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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