Gross Fixed Capital Formation

Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) measures the total value of investment in fixed assets within an economy — buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and equipment used in production for more than one year. It reflects long-term capital accumulation and investment in productive capacity, and is a core gauge of economic activity across Latin America and the Caribbean. This indicator is part of Latin Macro Watch, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) database of comparable macroeconomic series for the region. The precise definition may vary across countries.

Coverage

The series spans 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean at annual and quarterly frequency, covering 1990–2026. Values are published in % of GDP, millions of USD, millions of domestic currency, PPP-adjusted, at constant prices (national accounts deflator), and seasonally adjusted. Quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year percentage-change transformations are also available.

Sources

Data are compiled from national statistical institutes and harmonized by the IDB for cross-country comparison. Representative sources include the Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada, INEGI - Mexico, INDEC - Argentina, the Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) - Colombia, and the Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (INE) de Chile, among the statistical agencies of the 24 covered economies.

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Format	CSV
Language	en
Country	Argentina Bahamas Trinidad & Tobago Belize Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia El Salvador Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Panama Uruguay Venezuela Barbados Paraguay Peru Suriname
Data notes	What does Gross Fixed Capital Formation measure? It measures the total value of investment in fixed assets within an economy — such as buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and equipment used in production for more than one year. It reflects long-term capital accumulation and investment in productive capacity. How many countries and which frequencies and period are covered? The indicator covers 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean at annual and quarterly frequency, over the period 1990–2026. What units and transformations are available? Values are available in % of GDP, millions of USD, millions of domestic currency, PPP-adjusted, at constant prices (national accounts deflator), and seasonally adjusted. Quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) and year-over-year (YoY) percentage-change transformations are also provided. Where does the data come from? The series is compiled from national statistical institutes — such as the Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada, INEGI - Mexico, INDEC - Argentina, the Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) - Colombia, and the Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (INE) de Chile — and harmonized by the IDB for cross-country comparison. What is Gross Fixed Capital Formation typically used for? Analysts, policymakers, and researchers use it to track investment trends, gauge productive capacity, compare capital accumulation across countries, and assess the drivers of economic growth in the region. Is the definition the same in every country? The precise definition may vary across countries, since national statistical institutes follow their own national accounts conventions. The IDB harmonizes the series in Latin Macro Watch to support cross-country comparison. How do I cite this indicator? Cite it as: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Latin Macro Watch — "Gross Fixed Capital Formation". data.iadb.org/dataset/latin-macro-watch-dataset.