This web page presents information about the work of the IMF in Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic, including the activities of the IMF Regional Representative Office. Additional information can be found on the IMF country pages of the enlarged Central American region (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama), including official IMF reports and Executive Board documents in English and Spanish that deal with Central America as a region and with each of its countries.

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At a Glance

  • CA-7: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Dominican Republic
  • Costa Rica Joined the Fund on January 08, 1946
  • El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama Joined the Fund on March 14, 1946
  • Dominican Republic and Guatemala Joined the Fund on December 28, 1945
  • Honduras Joined the Fund on December 27, 1945
  • Total Quotas: Net cummulative allocation SDR 1,230.60 Million; Holdings: SDR 1,027.62 Million
  • Loans outstanding: ECF arrangements (Honduras and Nicaragua) SDR 132.54 Million;
  • Stand-by Arrangements (Dominican Republic) SDR 703.76 Million

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IMF's Work on Central America 

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Regional Economic Outlook

Western Hemisphere

Latin America and the Caribbean: Tale of Two Adjustments
April 2017

Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean are recovering from a recession at the regional level in 2016. In a tale of two adjustments, growth has been held back by weak domestic demand. This reflects both the ongoing external adjustment to earlier terms-of-trade shocks and, in some cases, fiscal adjustment, in addition to other country-specific domestic factors. Regional activity overall is expected to pick up gradually this year and next, but the outlook is weaker than projected last fall. The projection for medium-term growth remains modest at about 2.6 percent. The outlook is shaped by key shifts in the global economic and policy landscape, including a modest rebound in commodity prices and in partner demand and higher policy uncertainty at the global level. Domestic fundamentals and developments, however, will continue to play a significant role in determining growth in many economies. At the same time, risks to regional growth have widened in a setting of higher global policy uncertainty. In this challenging external context, countries should aim for completing fiscal and external adjustments to preserve or rebuild policy buffers. Charting a course toward higher, sustainable, and more equitable growth will also require strengthening structural reforms aimed at closing infrastructure gaps; improving the business environment, governance, and education outcomes; and encouraging female labor participation to boost medium-term growth and foster income convergence.

Read the report