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Brief No. 28Bridgetown Brief No. 28
Tracker No. 05Debt Tracker Issue No. 05
This weekBridgetown Brief No. 28
Jamaica's prices are rising at 8.6 per cent a year while formal jobs shrink. Food and transport lead the rise, and the first official count of informal work shows 24,000 fewer formal jobs than a year earlier.
Last week, No. 27: The Benchmark and the Outturn
Debt Tracker
Issue No. 05Updated 19 days old
Caribbean Debt Tracker
Each economy is rechecked monthly against its published source. The table gives primary balance, growth and the date each row was last checked.
This issue
Ten of eleven CARICOM economies tracked here sit above the 60% anchor. Guyana is the only one below, and only on oil. One headline figure moved this issue. Guyana's Ministry of Finance raised its 2026 growth projection in the Mid-Year Report from 16.2% to 20.8%, after the first half of the year grew 33.3% and with a fifth oil production vessel due before December, and that figure now leads the row with the IMF's April projection kept beside it. The same report prints a line labelled primary balance, but on a narrower basis that leaves out capital spending and the oil fund transfer, so Guyana's primary balance stays empty until the IMF publishes one. The remaining rows were checked and did not move. Two sources that could move several of them land within days of this issue: the Trinidad and Tobago budget on 12 October and the IMF's October World Economic Outlook on 13 October.
Debt on a different basis from the IMF general government measure the other bars use, in coverage, period or both. For some of these countries the figure still matches the IMF series. Each country page states the basis: Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesDominicaBarbadosSaint LuciaThe BahamasTrinidad and TobagoAntigua and Barbuda.
Readout
Select a bar for that economy's figures and sources.
Sorted by debt, highest first. Change is in percentage points since Issue No. 04, published 8 September 2026. The table scrolls sideways and the names stay in view.
| Economy | Debt, % of GDP | Year | Since No. 04, pp | Primary balance, % of GDP | Real growth, % | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, measured on a different basis | 120.1 | 2026 | 0.0 | -8.2 | 2.8 | |
| Dominica, measured on a different basis | 98.3 | 2026 | 0.0 | +2.2 | 3.1 | |
| Barbados, measured on a different basis | 93.7 | 2026 | 0.0 | +3.5 | 2.0 | |
| Saint Lucia, measured on a different basis | 77.5 | 2026 | 0.0 | +0.8 | 2.0 | |
| The Bahamas, measured on a different basis | 70.2 | 2026 | 0.0 | +3.6 | 2.1 | |
| Grenada | 69.0 | 2026 | 0.0 | -7.9 | 3.3 | |
| Trinidad and Tobago, measured on a different basis | 67.8 | 2026 | 0.0 | -0.8 | 0.8 | |
| Antigua and Barbuda, measured on a different basis | 66.5 | 2026 | 0.0 | +1.4 | 2.6 | |
| Jamaica | 65.8 | 2026 | 0.0 | +0.5 | -1.2 | |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 64.0 | 2026 | 0.0 | -7.5 | 2.0 | |
| Guyana | 29.2 | 2026 | 0.0 | Pending refresh | 20.8 |
Debt on a different basis from the IMF general government measure the other rows use, in coverage, period or both. For some of these countries the figure still matches the IMF series. Each country page states the basis.
Independent and free to cite. Each row on the Tracker carries its sources and the date it was last checked against them. Corrections are logged in public and none is deleted.
Sources: IMF World Economic Outlook and Article IV documents, central bank releases and finance ministry reports. Each country page lists the documents behind its row.
The Bridgetown Brief
Showing eight of eight recent Briefs. The archive holds 28.
No. 27
For the second October running, Trinidad and Tobago's budget calls its deficit "again within the international benchmark" of 3 per cent of GDP.
Fiscal Policy5 min read
No. 26
The Dominican Republic's 2027 budget bill, sent to Congress on 23 September, plans a central government deficit of 3.4 per cent of GDP.
Fiscal Policy3 min read
No. 25
The Bank of Jamaica raised its policy rate to 6.0 per cent from 29 September, and one of its reasons is government recovery spending.
Fiscal Policy4 min read
No. 24
Guyana's Mid-Year Report 2026 now expects the government to take 84 lifts of profit oil this year, against the 40 its budget assumed.
Fiscal Policy3 min read
No. 23
Jamaican consumer prices rose 7.9 per cent in the year to August, the third month running above the upper limit of the Bank of Jamaica's 4.0 to 6.0 per cent target.
Fiscal Policy4 min read
No. 22
The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago published Working Paper WP03/2026 on 7 September.
Fiscal Policy4 min read
No. 21
External reserves in The Bahamas stood at B$3,227.93 million in July, 8.6 per cent higher than a year earlier.
Fiscal Policy3 min read
No. 20
Guyana carries the lowest public debt ratio in the Caribbean, 28.6 per cent of GDP in 2025, and the Inter-American Development Bank calls it highly sustainable.
Fiscal Policy3 min read
Research and methods
Method note
Each row starts on the IMF World Economic Outlook debt series. A dagger marks a row whose figure or coverage differs, and the country card names that basis.
Method note
The Tracker carries the central government primary balance on each country's own fiscal year, and only as printed. A budget speech can show a different figure for the same year.
Method note
Every correction is dated and kept in a public log. The data is CC BY 4.0, with a CSV that carries each row with its basis, sources and second readings.
For institutions
The work operates at two levels. For ministries of finance, central banks, and multilateral institutions: fiscal risk, debt sustainability, and macro-fiscal advisory to institutional standard. For development finance institutions and investment partners: there is scope for co-investment, joint ventures, and development partnerships in real estate, energy, agribusiness, and infrastructure across the Caribbean, the Americas, and Asia. Confidential intake on request.
How to engage
Analysis
→Macroeconomic briefings, fiscal risk work, debt and SOE analysis, and written commentary on the Caribbean economic environment.
Advisory
→Credit committee chairmanship, board advisory, and consulting on labour, social, and election policy across Barbados and the region.
Speaking
→Conference keynotes, panel participation, and media interviews on Caribbean economics, fiscal policy, and regional development.
About
I am Asokore Beckles, a Caribbean economist and statistician. I write the Bridgetown Brief, a weekly column on Caribbean economies and business, and keep the Caribbean Debt Tracker. A PhD in Economics at UWI Cave Hill is in progress. I also invest in and build Caribbean enterprises.
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