| Current Rank | Country | Value | Latest Reading | Previous Rank | Previous Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ↑ | Peru | -2.54 | 2021 | 9 | -8.86 |
| 2 | Argentina | -2.98 | 2020 | 2 | -4.33 |
| 3 ↑ | Uruguay | -3.99 | 2021 | 4 | -5.84 |
| 4 ↑ | Brazil | -4.42 | 2021 | 11 | -13.6 |
| 5 ↓ | Venezuela | -4.51 | 2021 | 3 | -5.05 |
| 6 ↓ | Paraguay | -5.7 | 2020 | 1 | -2.4 |
| 7 | Colombia | -7.15 | 2021 | 7 | -7.23 |
| 8 | Guyana | -7.39 | 2021 | 8 | -7.94 |
| 9 ↓ | Chile | -7.52 | 2021 | 6 | -7.15 |
| 10 | Suriname | -7.9 | 2018 | 10 | -9.2 |
| 11 ↓ | Bolivia | -13.09 | 2020 | 5 | -6.91 |
The fiscal (budget) balance is the difference between government revenue and government expenditure. We express the value as percent of GDP to relate it to the size of the economy.
