TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Data as of October 2023
AT A GLANCE
Trinidad & Tobago carries a public debt of 64.6% of GDP — below the Caribbean regional average of 72.9%. However, debt has risen by over 18 percentage points in the past five years, driven by lower energy revenues and expanded public spending during the pandemic. Each resident carries an estimated $10,979 in public debt. A fiscal deficit of 5.2% of GDP reflects ongoing pressure on public finances as the country manages energy sector volatility.
REGIONAL CONTEXT
DEBT OVERVIEW
Debt-to-GDP, 2016–2024
Debt Composition, 2024
ECONOMIC CONTEXT
Nominal GDP & Growth Rate
Disaster Event Timeline
Events are plotted by start year, with labels highlighting each event or the highest-impact events.
SDG PROGRESS
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global goals adopted by all UN member states to track progress on poverty, health, education, and environmental sustainability.
DETAILED DATA
Download full datasetCountry data sections
What does this national data show?
- GDP US$
- The total monetary value of all goods and services produced in a country in a given year, measured in current US dollars. GDP is the broadest measure of economic size and determines a country's capacity to service debt.
- GDP (Const.) US$ (2015)
- GDP adjusted for inflation, measured in constant US dollars. Comparing constant-dollar GDP across years reveals whether the economy is genuinely growing or just reflecting price changes.
- GDP/Capita US$/person
- Economic output per person, providing context for how much capacity a country has to manage its debt.
- GDP/Cap (Const.) US$/person (2015)
- GDP per person adjusted for inflation. Tracks whether living standards are truly improving over time by removing the effect of rising prices.
- GNI US$
- Gross National Income is the total income earned by a country's residents, including income from abroad. GNI captures remittances and overseas earnings that GDP misses, important for small island economies with large diasporas.
- GDP Growth %
- How fast the economy is growing or shrinking. Positive growth means the country is producing more; negative growth signals a recession.
- Real GDP Growth %
- The rate of real economic growth, adjusted for inflation. Shows whether productive capacity is expanding or contracting, independent of price-level changes.
| Indicator | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (Current USD) | $24.22B | $28.34B | $25.04B | $25.63B | $26.00B |
| GDP (Constant 2015 USD) | $21.28B | $21.46B | $21.77B | $22.32B | — |
| GDP per Capita (Current USD) | $17,713 | $20,751 | $18,308 | $18,733 | $18,121 |
| GDP per Capita (Constant 2015 USD) | $15,558 | $15,712 | $15,923 | $16,312 | — |
| GNI (Current USD) | $23.83B | $26.62B | $25.54B | $25.81B | — |
| GDP Growth (Current USD) | 16.0% | 17.0% | -11.7% | 2.4% | 1.4% |
| GDP Growth (Constant USD) | -0.7% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 2.5% | — |
What does this debt data show?
- Debt/GDP %
- Total public debt as a percentage of economic output - the primary measure of whether a country's debt is sustainable.
- CG Debt/GDP %
- Central government debt as a percentage of GDP. Narrower than total public debt, it isolates borrowing by the national government, excluding state enterprises and local authorities.
- Interest/GDP %
- Interest payments on debt as a share of GDP, showing how much of the economy goes to servicing debt rather than funding public services.
- Ext. Debt US$
- The total amount owed to foreign creditors in US dollars. High external debt means a country must earn foreign currency to repay, making it vulnerable to exchange rate shocks.
- Debt Stock US$
- The absolute size of public debt in US dollars.
- Ext. Debt/GDP %
- External debt as a share of GDP. Measures how much of the economy's output would be needed to repay all foreign-held debt, a key indicator of vulnerability to external shocks.
- Debt/Capita US$/person
- Public debt divided by population - how much debt each person effectively carries.
- Debt/Child US$/child
- Total public debt divided by the population under 18. Illustrates the debt burden that today's children will inherit, framing fiscal decisions in terms of intergenerational equity.
- Debt/Revenue US$
- Public debt as a multiple of annual government revenue. Shows how many years of total revenue it would take to repay the debt, measuring the government's practical ability to service its obligations.
| Indicator | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Debt to GDP | 60.6% | 60.5% | 53.2% | 60.2% | 64.6% |
| Central Gov. Debt to GDP | 62.2% | 58.5% | 51.0% | 61.1% | 64.5% |
| Interest on Public Debt (% GDP) | 3.5% | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 3.8% |
| External Debt Stock | $16.47B | $17.27B | $16.62B | $16.54B | $16.33B |
| Public Debt Stock | $12.66B | $14.66B | $15.08B | $15.07B | $16.55B |
| External Debt to GDP | 78.9% | 71.3% | 58.6% | 66.1% | 63.7% |
| Public Debt per Capita | $8,547 | $9,852 | $10,081 | $10,029 | $10,979 |
| Public Debt per Child | $34,195 | $39,753 | $41,064 | $41,285 | $45,679 |
| Public Debt to Gov. Revenue | $3 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $2 |
What does this fiscal data show?
- Revenue/GDP %
- Government revenue as a share of GDP. Indicates how much of the economy the government collects in taxes and fees, with higher ratios suggesting more fiscal space to service debt and fund public services.
- Budget Balance %
- Whether the government is spending more than it earns. A negative number means a deficit — the country is borrowing to cover the gap.
| Indicator | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gov. Revenue to GDP | 23.0% | 29.2% | 31.2% | 27.2% | — |
| Overall Balance to GDP | -8.1% | 0.9% | -1.2% | -5.2% | -5.2% |
What does this social data show?
- Inflation %
- The annual rate of increase in consumer prices. High inflation erodes purchasing power and can make debt cheaper to repay in real terms, but hurts citizens' ability to afford basic goods.
- Population persons
- The total number of people living in the country. Essential context for interpreting per-capita indicators and understanding the scale of public service obligations.
- Children persons
- The number of people under 18. Used alongside total population to calculate debt-per-child and understand the demographic profile of the country's future workforce.
- Unemployment %
- The percentage of the labor force that is actively seeking work but cannot find it. High unemployment signals economic distress and reduces the tax base available to service debt.
| Indicator | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflation | 2.1% | 5.8% | 4.6% | 0.5% | — |
| Population | 1.5M | 1.5M | 1.5M | 1.5M | 1.5M |
| Population (Children 0-19) | 369K | 367K | 365K | 362K | 359K |
| Unemployment Rate | 4.4% | 4.4% | 3.4% | 4.0% | — |
What does this SDG data show?
- SDG Score Index
- A composite score from 0 to 100 measuring a country's overall progress toward the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Higher scores indicate stronger development outcomes across health, education, environment, and governance.
- SDG Rank Index
- A country's position in the global Sustainable Development Goals Index, ranking 166 nations on progress toward the 17 SDGs. A lower number means stronger overall development performance.
- SDG Reg. Rank Index
- A country's SDG Index position relative to other nations in its region. Provides regional context that the global rank alone cannot, since a country may rank well globally but still lag behind its Caribbean peers.
| Indicator | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| SDG Index Score | 62 | 61 |
| SDG Index Rank | 125 | 126 |
| SDG Regional Rank | 7 | 7 |
| Date | Event | Magnitude | Total Affected | Total Damage (Adjusted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 26, 2022 | Riverine Flood | — | 100,000 | — |
| Oct 19, 2018 | Flood (General) | — | 150,000 | $5M |
| Jan 2010 | Drought | — | — | — |
| Jul 14, 2005 | Tropical Cyclone Emily | — | — | — |
| Nov 12, 2004 | Mudslide | — | 1,200 | — |
| Sep 9, 2004 | Tropical Cyclone Ivan | 120 km/h | 560 | $2M |
Source: EM-DAT, CRED / UC Louvain, Brussels, Belgium — www.emdat.be (Accessed: January 2026)
Data Sources Review source coverage and year ranges for the indicators shown above.
GDP/Capita
- World Bank — 1990–2024
- IMF — 2025
Population
- CPDC Calculated — 1990–2025
GDP Growth
- CPDC Calculated — 1990–2025
Debt/GDP
- IMF — 1990–2024
Budget Balance
- IMF — 1990–2025
Debt/Capita
- CPDC Calculated — 1990–2024
Debt/Child
- CPDC Calculated — 1990–2024
SDG Rank
- UN — 2024
- UN — 2025
Debt Stock
- CPDC Calculated — 1990–2024
Interest/GDP
- IMF — 1990–2024
Ext. Debt
- World Bank — 2015–2024
Revenue/GDP
- IMF — 1990–2024
GDP
- World Bank — 1990–2024
- IMF — 2025
Inflation
- World Bank — 1990–2024
Unemployment
- IMF — 1990–2024