Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Jamaica
Jamaica: Short-term debt (% of total external debt) was 16.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Short-term debt in Jamaica, 1970–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total external debt.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 16.2% for short-term debt in 2024.
The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and up 49.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Jamaica peaked at 19.4% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1971.
That places Jamaica 35th out of 122 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1971 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1972 | 0.0% | — |
| 1973 | 0.0% | — |
| 1974 | 0.0% | +11.1% |
| 1975 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1976 | 0.0% | — |
| 1977 | 6.1% | — |
| 1978 | 5.5% | -8.6% |
| 1979 | 6.1% | +10.8% |
| 1980 | 5.1% | -17.5% |
| 1981 | 4.0% | -21.0% |
| 1982 | 3.6% | -10.5% |
| 1983 | 8.2% | +128.9% |
| 1984 | 6.9% | -15.7% |
| 1985 | 4.6% | -33.9% |
| 1986 | 4.4% | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 5.0% | +12.6% |
| 1988 | 6.4% | +28.0% |
| 1989 | 8.4% | +31.8% |
| 1990 | 7.2% | -13.8% |
| 1991 | 6.1% | -15.9% |
| 1992 | 6.7% | +10.0% |
| 1993 | 6.5% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 10.4% | +59.6% |
| 1995 | 10.6% | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 14.0% | +31.8% |
| 1997 | 17.9% | +27.9% |
| 1998 | 16.0% | -10.9% |
| 1999 | 19.4% | +21.8% |
| 2000 | 16.4% | -15.5% |
| 2001 | 17.0% | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 13.9% | -18.0% |
| 2003 | 17.3% | +24.0% |
| 2004 | 16.8% | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 9.3% | -44.5% |
| 2006 | 13.6% | +45.4% |
| 2007 | 14.6% | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 12.1% | -17.2% |
| 2009 | 6.7% | -44.2% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | +14.1% |
| 2011 | 6.9% | -10.0% |
| 2012 | 12.4% | +79.3% |
| 2013 | 11.2% | -9.8% |
| 2014 | 10.9% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 10.7% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | +10.3% |
| 2017 | 12.2% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 12.5% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 15.6% | +24.7% |
| 2020 | 14.6% | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 14.0% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 13.9% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 17.1% | +22.9% |
| 2024 | 16.2% | -5.6% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 16.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.4× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 16.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 9.1%, 1.8× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Short-term debt (% of total external debt) in Jamaica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +128.9% | 3.6% | 8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 0.0% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.6% | 3.6% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.5% | 6.1% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.8% | 6.7% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.2% | 6.9% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.2% | 13.9% | 17.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More external debt data for Jamaica
- IFC, private nonguaranteed 0 NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 0 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP 0 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre -3,693 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 5.2% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD -21.88 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 14.6% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD (NFL, current US$), annual growth rate 49.66 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other investment, Debt instruments 3.86 billion US dollar (2025)
- Use of IMF credit 1.74 billion DOD, current US$ (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in Jamaica?
- Short-term debt in Jamaica was 16.2% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 19.4% in 1999.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1971.
- How does Jamaica rank for short-term debt?
- Jamaica ranks 35th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Short-term debt (% of total external debt). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.