By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): The world is deeper in debt than ever before.
According to the Institute of International Finance (IIF), total global debt, including what governments, households and companies owe, reached a record US$365 trillion in the first half of 2026. That works out to roughly US$44,000 for every person on the planet.
Global debt climbed by about US$10 trillion in the first six months of the year alone, driven largely by borrowing in emerging markets. Over the past decade, it has jumped about 60%, up from US$228 trillion.
So where does Belize stand?
Public sector debt was BZ$4.65 billion (about US$2.33 billion) at the end of July 2026, or 65.3% of output. Speaking at a Caribbean ministerial meeting in Bangkok in October, Prime Minister John Briceño said public debt reached 66.4% of output in August 2026.
With a population of a little over 400,000, that means Belize’s public debt works out to roughly BZ$11,000, or about US$5,500, for every Belizean.
Most of it is owed abroad. In his budget presentation earlier this year, the PM said about 64% of the public debt is owed to lenders outside Belize, while the balance of BDZ$1.692 billion or 36 per cent is debt denominated in Belize dollars owed to local lenders and to the Central Bank.
The post World debt hits record US$365 trillion. Here’s how much Belize owes appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): The world is deeper in debt than ever before. According to the Institute of International Finance (IIF), total global debt, including what governments, households and companies owe, reached a record US$365 trillion in the first half of 2026. That works out to roughly US$44,000 for every person on the
The post World debt hits record US$365 trillion. Here’s how much Belize owes appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
