## Belize: 2018 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; Informational Annex; Debit Sustainability Analysis and Statement by the Executive Director for Belize

_IMF Staff Country Reports, November 16, 2018_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Belize: 2018 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; Informational Annex; Debit Sustainability Analysis and Statement by the Executive Director for Belize](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/cr/issues/2018/11/16/belize-2018-article-iv-consultation-press-release-staff-report-informational-annex-46370)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/publications/cr/issues/2018/11/16/belize-2018-article-iv-consultation-press-release-staff-report-informational-annex-46370/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/publications/cr/issues/2018/11/16/belize-2018-article-iv-consultation-press-release-staff-report-informational-annex-46370/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/publications/cr/issues/2018/11/16/belize-2018-article-iv-consultation-press-release-staff-report-informational-annex-46370/bundle-manifest.json)

## Bibliographic details
- Published: November 16, 2018
- Series: IMF Staff Country Reports
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781484385401.002

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### Summary and economic context
- Belize’s economic growth has slowed over the last five years, following decades of outperforming regional peers.
- A central challenge is exiting the cycle of low growth and elevated public debt.
- Belize’s 2017 debt rescheduling provided cash flow relief.

### Debt restructuring and fiscal commitments
- In March 2017, the government reached a restructuring agreement with private external bondholders on its US$526 million bond (about 30 percent of GDP).
- As part of the agreement, the authorities committed to:
  - tighten the fiscal stance by 3.0 percentage points in FY2017/18; and
  - maintain a primary surplus of 2.0 percent of GDP for the subsequent three years.
- The authorities are delivering on these commitments and have made progress in implementing recent Article IV recommendations (Annex I).

### Policy themes and focus areas
- Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT)
- Banking
- Crime
- Economic sectors
- Expenditure
- Fiscal consolidation
- Fiscal policy
- Fiscal stance
- Public debt
- Public sector

### Keywords and classifications
- Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT)
- Caribbean
- CR
- Fiscal stance
- Global
- growth prospect
- IMF staff estimate
- IMF-World Bank Climate Change Policy Assessment
- ISCR
- liability positions vis-à-vis nonresident
- policy priority
- Public sector

*International Monetary Fund. Belize: 2018 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; Informational Annex; Debit Sustainability Analysis and Statement by the Executive Director for Belize.*

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## Content in this bundle

- **Country Report**
  - [Country Report (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/cr/2018/cr18327-belizebundle.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [Country Report (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/cr/2018/cr18327-belizebundle.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/cr/issues/2018/11/16/belize-2018-article-iv-consultation-press-release-staff-report-informational-annex-46370_