Total reserves in months of imports in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Total reserves in months of imports was 6.54 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Total reserves in months of imports in Latin America & Caribbean, 1975–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Analysis
In 2025, total reserves in months of imports in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 6.54.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% on the previous year and down 34.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total reserves in months of imports in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 11.02 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 4.17, in 1988.
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 27th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Total reserves in months of imports in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 10.93 | — |
| 1976 | 7.88 | -27.8% |
| 1977 | 6.82 | -13.5% |
| 1978 | 7.69 | +12.7% |
| 1979 | 9.01 | +17.2% |
| 1980 | 7.33 | -18.6% |
| 1981 | 5.86 | -20.0% |
| 1982 | 5.42 | -7.6% |
| 1983 | 6.27 | +15.7% |
| 1984 | 5.82 | -7.2% |
| 1985 | 6.67 | +14.6% |
| 1986 | 5.64 | -15.5% |
| 1987 | 5.97 | +5.8% |
| 1988 | 4.17 | -30.1% |
| 1989 | 4.36 | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 5.89 | +34.9% |
| 1991 | 6.05 | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 6.27 | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 6.64 | +5.9% |
| 1994 | 7.26 | +9.2% |
| 1995 | 6.4 | -11.8% |
| 1996 | 7.28 | +13.7% |
| 1997 | 6.14 | -15.7% |
| 1998 | 5.25 | -14.4% |
| 1999 | 5.56 | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 4.91 | -11.7% |
| 2001 | 4.58 | -6.8% |
| 2002 | 5.09 | +11.2% |
| 2003 | 6.27 | +23.1% |
| 2004 | 5.58 | -10.9% |
| 2005 | 5.4 | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 5.65 | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 7.51 | +32.9% |
| 2008 | 6.44 | -14.3% |
| 2009 | 9.32 | +44.8% |
| 2010 | 7.94 | -14.7% |
| 2011 | 7.78 | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 8.48 | +9.0% |
| 2013 | 8.25 | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 8.36 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 10.05 | +20.1% |
| 2016 | 11.02 | +9.7% |
| 2017 | 10.12 | -8.1% |
| 2018 | 9.09 | -10.2% |
| 2019 | 8.75 | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 11.01 | +25.8% |
| 2021 | 8.18 | -25.7% |
| 2022 | 6.2 | -24.2% |
| 2023 | 6.87 | +10.9% |
| 2024 | 6.29 | -8.5% |
| 2025 | 6.54 | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.46 | 6.82 | 10.93 | 5 |
| 1980s | 5.75 | 4.17 | 7.33 | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.27 | 5.25 | 7.28 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.07 | 4.58 | 9.32 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.98 | 7.78 | 11.02 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.51 | 6.2 | 11.01 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More financial sector data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Net migration -401,848 (2025)
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks 48.5% (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)
- Monetary Sector credit to private sector 48.2% (2025)
- Net migration, annual growth rate -6.2 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total reserves in months of imports in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Total reserves in months of imports in Latin America & Caribbean was 6.54 in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest total reserves in months of imports recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 11.02 in 2016.
- What is the lowest total reserves in months of imports recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.17 in 1988.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for total reserves in months of imports?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 27th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is total reserves in months of imports rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Total reserves in months of imports. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This item is expressed in terms of the number of months of imports of goods and services they could pay for [X/(Imports/12)].