Capital Fiscal Expenditures

Capital Fiscal Expenditures track government spending on investment and capital formation in the Latin Macro Watch dataset of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). They include outlays on infrastructure, construction, equipment and other assets that increase the productive capacity of the economy, and are reported across government levels — central government, general government and the non-financial public sector, where available. The series helps economists, fiscal analysts and policymakers assess public investment and fiscal stance across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Coverage

Data are available for 8 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean at annual, monthly and quarterly frequency, spanning 1990 to 2026. Values can be expressed in millions of domestic currency, millions of USD, as a share of GDP, year-to-date, in CPI-deflated constant prices, seasonally adjusted, and on a fiscal-year (Q4–Q3) basis. Available transformations include MA3, MA6 and MA12 moving averages and month-on-month, quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year growth rates.

Sources

Figures are compiled from finance ministries and treasuries, including the Ministerio de Economía de Argentina, the Ministerio de Hacienda de Mexico, the Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas de Perú and the Tesouro Nacional do Brasil, alongside central banks and statistical offices in the region.

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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 are Capital Fiscal Expenditures? They are government expenses on investment and capital formation, including spending on infrastructure, construction, equipment and other assets that increase the productive capacity of the economy. Which government levels are reported? The data are reported across central government, general government and the non-financial public sector, where available for each country. How many countries and which periods are covered? The indicator covers 8 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, with data spanning 1990 to 2026 at annual, monthly and quarterly frequency. What units and transformations are available? Values can be expressed in millions of domestic currency or USD, as a share of GDP, year-to-date, in CPI-deflated constant prices, seasonally adjusted and on a fiscal-year basis. Transformations include MA3, MA6, MA12 and MoM, QoQ and YoY growth rates. Where does the data come from? The data are compiled from finance ministries and treasuries, including the Ministerio de Economía de Argentina, the Ministerio de Hacienda de Mexico, the Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas de Perú and the Tesouro Nacional do Brasil. What is this indicator typically used for? It is used to assess public investment, evaluate fiscal policy and compare the capital spending stance of governments across Latin America and the Caribbean. How do I cite this indicator? Cite it as: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Latin Macro Watch — "Capital Fiscal Expenditures." data.iadb.org/dataset/latin-macro-watch-dataset.