Capital Account Balance

The Capital Account Balance is the component of the balance of payments that records net capital transfers and the acquisition or disposal of non-produced, non-financial assets — such as natural resource rights, contracts, leases, and licenses. A surplus signals net capital inflows, while a deficit reflects net outflows. Compiled by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for the Latin Macro Watch database, it gives analysts and policymakers a consistent view of this external-accounts measure across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Coverage

The series covers 22 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean at annual, monthly, and quarterly frequency over the period 1990–2026. Values are reported as a percentage of GDP, as a year-to-date (YTD) figure, and in millions of USD. A range of transformations is also available, including 3-, 6-, and 12-month moving averages (MA3, MA6, MA12) and month-over-month, quarter-over-quarter, and year-over-year percentage changes (MoM %, QoQ %, YoY %), so users can study levels, trends, and growth rates.

Sources

Data are drawn from national central banks and statistical agencies, including the Banco Central do Brasil, Banco de Mexico (Banxico), Banco Central de Chile, INDEC - Argentina, INEC - Panamá, and the Central Bank of The Bahamas, among others, allowing cross-country comparison of capital-account dynamics within a single database.

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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 the Capital Account Balance measure? It is the balance-of-payments component recording net capital transfers and the acquisition or disposal of non-produced, non-financial assets, such as natural resource rights, contracts, leases, and licenses. What does a surplus or deficit in the Capital Account Balance indicate? A surplus indicates net capital inflows into the economy, while a deficit reflects net capital outflows. How many countries and which frequencies and period does it cover? The series covers 22 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. It is available at annual, monthly, and quarterly frequency and spans the period 1990–2026. What units and transformations are available? Values are reported as a percentage of GDP, as a year-to-date (YTD) figure, and in millions of USD. Available transformations include 3-, 6-, and 12-month moving averages (MA3, MA6, MA12) and month-over-month, quarter-over-quarter, and year-over-year percentage changes (MoM %, QoQ %, YoY %). Where does the Capital Account Balance data come from? Data are drawn from national central banks and statistical agencies, including the Banco Central do Brasil, Banco de Mexico (Banxico), Banco Central de Chile, INDEC - Argentina, INEC - Panamá, and the Central Bank of The Bahamas, among others. What is this indicator typically used for? It is used to analyze external-sector and balance-of-payments dynamics, monitor capital inflows and outflows, compare external positions across Latin American and Caribbean economies, and support macroeconomic and policy research. How do I cite this indicator? Cite it as: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Latin Macro Watch — "Capital Account Balance". data.iadb.org/dataset/latin-macro-watch-dataset.