GUYANA’S debt-to-GDP ratio is among the lowest in the Caribbean, according to a report just released by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).The report indicates that Guyana’s debt ratio amounts to some 58 per cent of GDP, and is bettered only by Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and Haiti. By contrast, Jamaica and Barbados recorded debt-to-GDP ratios of 140 and 115 per cent respectively.

Guyana’s low debt-to-GDP ratio also compares favourably with its historical position, given that this ratio once stood at over 600 per cent prior to 1992.
This favourable finding in relation to Guyana is as a result of the Government’s sustained efforts at prudent management of the economy, and careful incurrence of new debt, along with managing the fiscal operations of Government to ensure containment of the fiscal deficit and sustain growth in the economy.
The CDB report noted that the fiscal performance of five of nine Most Highly Indebted borrowing member states deteriorated in 2014, resulting in increased indebtedness for those countries.
The biggest cases of indebtedness were recorded in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados, which resulted in their being downgraded by credit rating agencies, the report said.