Table 2.1

Summary Statistics for Total Debt to GDP (1990–2004)

Country  
Mean 
 
Maximum 
 
Minimum 
Standard
 deviation 
Coefficient
 of variation 
 
Minimum
  year 
 
2000–2004/
1991–1995  
 
Chile
0.38
0.69
0.21
0.15
0.39
2004
0.63
 Declining debt to GDP
Ecuador
0.79
1.18
0.49
0.22
0.28
2004
0.69
El Salvador
0.48
0.60
0.34
0.08
0.17
1999
0.76
Guatemala
0.23
0.42
0.17
0.07
0.30
1998
0.75
Guyana
3.34
6.38
1.79
1.64
0.49
2004
0.40
Honduras
1.00
1.29
0.79
0.19
0.19
2001
0.69
Nicaragua
3.38
6.85
1.76
1.93
0.57
2004
0.38
Panama
0.84
1.27
0.65
0.21
0.25
1998
0.68
Peru
0.70
1.07
0.48
0.19
0.27
1997
0.65
Trinidad and Tobago
0.48
0.67
0.25
0.12
0.25
2004
0.57
Venezuela
0.45
0.64
0.27
0.13
0.30
2000
0.63
Group average
1.10
1.91
0.66
0.45
0.32
 
0.62
  
Argentina
0.60
1.43
0.29
0.40
0.68
1994
2.79
  
Bahamas
0.33
0.38
0.25
0.04
0.12
1990
1.12
  
Barbados
0.66
0.81
0.54
0.08
0.12
1990
1.13
 Increasing debt to GDP
Belize
0.58
0.94
0.44
0.18
0.30
1994
1.79
Brazil
0.66
0.89
0.37
0.17
0.27
1995
1.37
Colombia
0.41
0.66
0.26
0.14
0.35
1994
2.03
Jamaica
1.05
1.52
0.72
0.25
0.24
1994
1.47
Paraguay
0.32
0.52
0.20
0.10
0.32
1997
1.68
  
Uruguay
0.59
1.24
0.36
0.31
0.52
1996
2.30
  
Group average
0.58
0.93
0.38
0.19
0.32
 
1.74
  
Bolivia
0.72
0.80
0.64
0.05
0.07
1997
0.95
 No clear pattern
Costa Rica
0.59
0.83
0.54
0.08
0.13
1993
0.97
Mexico
0.43
0.57
0.31
0.09
0.20
1994
0.99
Group average
0.58
0.73
0.49
0.07
0.13
 
0.97
  
LAC average
0.84
1.41
0.54
0.30
0.29
 
1.13
  

Source : Authors’ calculations based on Cowan et al. (2006).