Interest rate spread in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Interest rate spread was 6.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Interest rate spread in Latin America & Caribbean, 1988–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in lending rate minus deposit rate, %.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded 6.1% for interest rate spread in 2025.
The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest rate spread in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 8.7% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 5.8%, in 1988.
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 18th of 40 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.
Interest rate spread in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | lending rate minus deposit rate, % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 5.8% | — |
| 1989 | 6.8% | +17.2% |
| 1990 | 7.0% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 6.9% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 7.5% | +8.0% |
| 1993 | 7.7% | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 7.9% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 8.7% | +10.5% |
| 1996 | 7.9% | -9.0% |
| 1997 | 8.0% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 8.7% | +7.9% |
| 1999 | 8.2% | -6.0% |
| 2000 | 8.3% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 8.0% | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 7.7% | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 8.0% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 7.3% | -8.8% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 7.0% | -7.5% |
| 2007 | 6.9% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 6.8% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 7.3% | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 7.4% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 7.2% | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 7.0% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 6.9% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 6.8% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 7.2% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 7.6% | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 7.5% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 7.1% | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 6.8% | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 6.4% | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 6.1% | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 6.0% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 5.8% | -2.6% |
| 2024 | 5.9% | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 6.1% | +4.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.3% | 5.8% | 6.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 7.8% | 6.9% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.5% | 6.8% | 8.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 6.8% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.1% | 5.8% | 6.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 15 Angola 11.4% compare
- 16 Mauritania 11.3% compare
- 17 Argentina 11.2% compare
- 18 Uganda 10.5% compare
- 19 Tanzania, United Republic of 10.0% compare
- 20 Timor-Leste 10.0% compare
- 21 Ukraine 9.7% compare
More financial sector data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Net migration -401,848 (2025)
- Monetary Sector credit to private sector 48.2% (2025)
- Broad money 72.7% (2025)
- Claims on central government, etc. 33.6% (2025)
- Domestic credit to private sector 52.6% (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports, annual growth rate 3.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports 6.54 (2025)
- Net migration, annual growth rate -6.2 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is interest rate spread in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Interest rate spread in Latin America & Caribbean was 6.1% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest rate spread recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 1995.
- What is the lowest interest rate spread recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.8% in 1988.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for interest rate spread?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 18th out of 40 groups with data for 2025.
- Is interest rate spread rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Interest rate spread is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the interest rate paid by commercial or similar banks for demand, time, or savings deposits. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.