Trinidad and Tobago ranked 114/197 by economy size with a GDP of $26.4B and 60/197 by GDP per capita at $19,315. Trinidad and Tobago has $17B in government debt, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 67.2%.
In 2025, Trinidad and Tobago made up 0.02% of the world's economy, compared to 0.04% in 1960.
The chart below shows GDP in nominal terms, GDP adjusted for inflation (in constant dollars), and a bar chart of year-over-year inflation-adjusted growth.
| Year | GDP | GDP growth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current $ | Constant $ | ||
| 1960 | $535,673,252 | $3,630,222,802 | - |
| 1961 | $584,964,621 | $4,139,799,750 | 9.2% |
| 1962 | $619,322,810 | $4,253,332,232 | 5.87% |
| 1963 | $678,239,329 | $4,491,714,373 | 9.51% |
| 1964 | $711,897,520 | $4,834,454,628 | 4.96% |
| 1965 | $736,573,159 | $4,867,998,505 | 3.47% |
| 1966 | $723,739,857 | $5,065,484,518 | -1.74% |
| 1967 | $761,981,912 | $5,168,947,937 | 5.28% |
| 1968 | $758,899,950 | $5,438,515,892 | -0.4% |
| 1969 | $779,200,000 | $5,587,024,608 | 2.67% |
| 1970 | $821,850,000 | $5,784,449,703 | 5.47% |
| 1971 | $896,765,215 | $5,844,627,406 | 9.12% |
| 1972 | $1,083,391,758 | $6,182,467,140 | 20.8% |
| 1973 | $1,308,785,431 | $6,284,874,810 | 20.8% |
| 1974 | $2,042,001,071 | $6,524,177,955 | 56% |
| 1975 | $2,442,669,825 | $6,620,603,046 | 19.6% |
| 1976 | $2,500,424,955 | $7,044,662,296 | 2.36% |
| 1977 | $3,138,666,667 | $7,687,261,624 | 25.5% |
| 1978 | $3,562,333,458 | $8,457,254,686 | 13.5% |
| 1979 | $4,602,416,625 | $8,761,662,363 | 29.2% |
| 1980 | $6,235,833,333 | $9,672,070,064 | 35.5% |
| 1981 | $6,992,083,333 | $10,114,780,883 | 12.1% |
| 1982 | $8,140,416,667 | $10,499,073,581 | 16.4% |
| 1983 | $7,763,750,000 | $9,417,634,514 | -4.63% |
| 1984 | $7,757,083,333 | $8,876,035,190 | -0.09% |
| 1985 | $7,375,918,367 | $8,510,394,061 | -4.91% |
| 1986 | $4,794,444,444 | $8,231,324,363 | -35% |
| 1987 | $4,797,777,778 | $7,855,829,575 | 0.07% |
| 1988 | $4,496,910,569 | $7,547,902,734 | -6.27% |
| 1989 | $4,323,058,824 | $7,485,261,616 | -3.87% |
| 1990 | $5,068,000,000 | $7,598,226,778 | 17.2% |
| 1991 | $5,307,905,882 | $7,834,714,586 | 4.73% |
| 1992 | $5,439,552,941 | $8,625,470,724 | 2.48% |
| 1993 | $4,669,491,134 | $8,567,756,425 | -14.2% |
| 1994 | $4,947,181,646 | $8,873,383,771 | 5.95% |
| 1995 | $5,329,217,747 | $9,211,451,985 | 7.72% |
| 1996 | $5,759,570,336 | $9,868,640,951 | 8.08% |
| 1997 | $5,737,771,523 | $10,611,044,464 | -0.38% |
| 1998 | $6,043,686,654 | $11,473,145,562 | 5.33% |
| 1999 | $6,808,982,521 | $12,393,844,571 | 12.7% |
| 2000 | $8,154,342,116 | $13,249,188,352 | 19.8% |
| 2001 | $8,824,849,191 | $13,801,483,946 | 8.22% |
| 2002 | $9,008,298,229 | $14,896,867,659 | 2.08% |
| 2003 | $11,305,459,802 | $17,048,122,760 | 25.5% |
| 2004 | $13,280,291,990 | $18,403,457,301 | 17.5% |
| 2005 | $15,982,389,018 | $19,546,116,532 | 20.3% |
| 2006 | $18,369,361,094 | $22,127,779,059 | 14.9% |
| 2007 | $21,641,620,050 | $23,179,780,078 | 17.8% |
| 2008 | $27,871,587,350 | $23,965,977,273 | 28.8% |
| 2009 | $19,172,165,226 | $22,913,456,440 | -31.2% |
| 2010 | $22,157,920,592 | $23,674,922,086 | 15.6% |
| 2011 | $25,433,007,437 | $23,605,233,909 | 14.8% |
| 2012 | $27,147,349,937 | $25,189,164,853 | 6.74% |
| 2013 | $28,560,536,917 | $26,031,643,292 | 5.21% |
| 2014 | $29,474,180,442 | $26,993,607,567 | 3.2% |
| 2015 | $26,841,143,095 | $26,841,143,095 | -8.93% |
| 2016 | $23,624,333,664 | $24,853,971,610 | -12% |
| 2017 | $23,847,765,529 | $23,656,360,891 | 0.95% |
| 2018 | $23,888,910,152 | $23,423,221,520 | 0.17% |
| 2019 | $23,588,037,787 | $23,533,735,415 | -1.26% |
| 2020 | $20,991,339,707 | $21,438,575,322 | -11% |
| 2021 | $24,177,305,760 | $21,243,057,044 | 15.2% |
| 2022 | $28,510,328,245 | $21,472,954,153 | 17.9% |
| 2023 | $25,489,373,405 | $21,779,397,559 | -10.6% |
| 2024 | $26,428,963,758 | $22,138,889,024 | 3.69% |
Economic Statistics of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross domestic product |
$26.4B
2024 |
114/197 |
| GDP growth |
3.69%
2023-2024 |
133/196 |
| GDP per capita |
$19,315
2024 |
60/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$36,021
2024 |
62/197 |
| Government debt |
$17B
2024 |
105/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
67.2%
2025 |
63/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$12,454
2024 |
45/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$11,432
2025 |
68/197 |
| Listed domestic companies |
26
2001 |
85/103 |
| Market capitalization of domestic companies |
$3.89B
2001 |
83/100 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
29.9%
1992 |
63/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
2.1%
1992 |
135/169 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
32.4%
2025 |
84/195 |
| Consumer prices inflation |
0.53%
2023-2024 |
181/195 |
| Central bank interest rate |
3.5%
2020 |
83/105 |
| Unemployment rate |
3.36%
2023 |
142/196 |
| Population |
1372940
|
154/197 |
Trinidad and Tobago's GDP per capita
Trinidad and Tobago has a GDP per capita of $19,315, ranking 60/197, a GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of $36,021, ranking 62/197, and a median annual after tax income of $11,432, ranking 68/197.
| Year | Current $ | |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita | GDP per capita, PPP | |
| 1960 | $634 | - |
| 1961 | $678 | - |
| 1962 | $704 | - |
| 1963 | $756 | - |
| 1964 | $780 | - |
| 1965 | $793 | - |
| 1966 | $768 | - |
| 1967 | $797 | - |
| 1968 | $783 | - |
| 1969 | $795 | - |
| 1970 | $829 | - |
| 1971 | $894 | - |
| 1972 | $1,067 | - |
| 1973 | $1,273 | - |
| 1974 | $1,962 | - |
| 1975 | $2,319 | - |
| 1976 | $2,345 | - |
| 1977 | $2,907 | - |
| 1978 | $3,258 | - |
| 1979 | $4,155 | - |
| 1980 | $5,559 | - |
| 1981 | $6,160 | - |
| 1982 | $7,091 | - |
| 1983 | $6,690 | - |
| 1984 | $6,613 | - |
| 1985 | $6,212 | - |
| 1986 | $3,985 | - |
| 1987 | $3,941 | - |
| 1988 | $3,656 | - |
| 1989 | $3,482 | - |
| 1990 | $4,047 | $6,878 |
| 1991 | $4,205 | $7,274 |
| 1992 | $4,277 | $8,129 |
| 1993 | $3,647 | $8,209 |
| 1994 | $3,840 | $8,631 |
| 1995 | $4,115 | $9,099 |
| 1996 | $4,427 | $9,883 |
| 1997 | $4,394 | $10,769 |
| 1998 | $4,613 | $11,735 |
| 1999 | $5,179 | $12,812 |
| 2000 | $6,179 | $13,953 |
| 2001 | $6,657 | $14,797 |
| 2002 | $6,763 | $16,141 |
| 2003 | $8,445 | $18,743 |
| 2004 | $9,871 | $20,674 |
| 2005 | $12,346 | $23,536 |
| 2006 | $14,153 | $27,393 |
| 2007 | $16,607 | $29,355 |
| 2008 | $21,299 | $30,807 |
| 2009 | $14,634 | $29,602 |
| 2010 | $16,815 | $30,778 |
| 2011 | $19,151 | $31,078 |
| 2012 | $20,332 | $31,883 |
| 2013 | $21,305 | $31,746 |
| 2014 | $21,908 | $32,027 |
| 2015 | $19,887 | $29,825 |
| 2016 | $17,449 | $28,232 |
| 2017 | $17,579 | $28,505 |
| 2018 | $17,576 | $28,680 |
| 2019 | $17,293 | $29,454 |
| 2020 | $15,359 | $26,863 |
| 2021 | $17,679 | $30,425 |
| 2022 | $20,874 | $32,989 |
| 2023 | $18,639 | $34,620 |
| 2024 | $19,315 | $36,021 |
Trinidad and Tobago's government spending, deficit, and chart
This chart shows Trinidad and Tobago's government spending, budget balance, and debt over time, each expressed as a share of GDP.
Over the past 38 years, Trinidad and Tobago recorded a fiscal deficit in 25 years — average annual deficit equal to -2.25% of GDP. In 2024, government spending reached $8.51B (32.4% of GDP), with a deficit of -3.39%.
The national debt reached $17B, ranking 105th out of 185 countries by total size, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 67.2%, ranking 63rd.
| Year | % of GDP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Government spending | Government debt | Government deficit/surplus | |
| 1988 | 45.3% | 65.3% | -9.34% |
| 1989 | 30.9% | 51.9% | -4.46% |
| 1990 | 26.9% | 47.7% | -1.27% |
| 1991 | 29.6% | 49.5% | -0.21% |
| 1992 | 28.6% | 49.2% | -2.74% |
| 1993 | 26.9% | 58.8% | 0.23% |
| 1994 | 25.4% | 52.6% | -0.02% |
| 1995 | 26.2% | 50.1% | 0.17% |
| 1996 | 27.6% | 47% | -0.45% |
| 1997 | 27.2% | 46.1% | 0.11% |
| 1998 | 26.9% | 42.8% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 24.1% | 42.2% | -0.88% |
| 2000 | 23.1% | 38.9% | 0.17% |
| 2001 | 24.8% | 36.6% | 0.61% |
| 2002 | 24.4% | 37% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 22.2% | 30.2% | 1.8% |
| 2004 | 22.5% | 24.2% | 1.84% |
| 2005 | 26.7% | 19.8% | 2.36% |
| 2006 | 31.6% | 16.9% | 1.56% |
| 2007 | 25.7% | 16.2% | 3.12% |
| 2008 | 26.7% | 13.5% | 5.39% |
| 2009 | 37% | 20.7% | -5.42% |
| 2010 | 30.4% | 16.8% | 0.13% |
| 2011 | 29.4% | 26.4% | -0.67% |
| 2012 | 29.5% | 21.8% | -1.26% |
| 2013 | 31.3% | 21.6% | -2.67% |
| 2014 | 32.8% | 23.5% | -4.31% |
| 2015 | 35% | 27.1% | -7.56% |
| 2016 | 31.9% | 35.4% | -10.1% |
| 2017 | 30.7% | 39.8% | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 30.2% | 41.5% | -5.89% |
| 2019 | 31% | 46% | -3.72% |
| 2020 | 36% | 62.2% | -12.1% |
| 2021 | 30.4% | 58.5% | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 27.1% | 51% | 0.92% |
| 2023 | 32.9% | 61.1% | -1.19% |
| 2024 | 32.2% | 64.5% | -5.92% |
| 2025 | 32.4% | 67.2% | -3.39% |
Inflation rate by year
Over the past 20 years, Trinidad and Tobago has had an average annual inflation rate of 5.16%. In 2024, inflation was 0.53%. The bar chart below shows consumer price inflation by year.
| Year | Inflation |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.08% |
| 1961 | 1.52% |
| 1962 | 2.98% |
| 1963 | 3.76% |
| 1964 | 0.86% |
| 1965 | 1.78% |
| 1966 | 4.09% |
| 1967 | 2.14% |
| 1968 | 8.23% |
| 1969 | 2.44% |
| 1970 | 2.52% |
| 1971 | 3.53% |
| 1972 | 9.3% |
| 1973 | 14.8% |
| 1974 | 22% |
| 1975 | 17% |
| 1976 | 10.7% |
| 1977 | 11.7% |
| 1978 | 10.3% |
| 1979 | 14.7% |
| 1980 | 17.5% |
| 1981 | 14.3% |
| 1982 | 11.6% |
| 1983 | 15.2% |
| 1984 | 13.3% |
| 1985 | 7.62% |
| 1986 | 7.69% |
| 1987 | 10.8% |
| 1988 | 7.76% |
| 1989 | 11.4% |
| 1990 | 11.1% |
| 1991 | 3.78% |
| 1992 | 6.44% |
| 1993 | 10.8% |
| 1994 | 8.81% |
| 1995 | 5.18% |
| 1996 | 3.4% |
| 1997 | 3.63% |
| 1998 | 5.61% |
| 1999 | 3.44% |
| 2000 | 3.56% |
| 2001 | 5.54% |
| 2002 | 4.15% |
| 2003 | 3.81% |
| 2004 | 3.72% |
| 2005 | 6.87% |
| 2006 | 8.33% |
| 2007 | 7.89% |
| 2008 | 12% |
| 2009 | 6.98% |
| 2010 | 10.5% |
| 2011 | 5.11% |
| 2012 | 9.26% |
| 2013 | 5.2% |
| 2014 | 5.68% |
| 2015 | 4.66% |
| 2016 | 3.07% |
| 2017 | 1.88% |
| 2018 | 1.02% |
| 2019 | 1% |
| 2020 | 0.6% |
| 2021 | 2.06% |
| 2022 | 5.83% |
| 2023 | 4.63% |
| 2024 | 0.53% |
Balance of trade
|
Trinidad
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
Current account balance
|
$1.23B
2024 |
52/189 |
| Current account balance, % of GDP |
+4.67%
2024 |
34/189 |
| Goods imports |
$7.54B
2024 |
118/188 |
| Goods exports |
$10B
2024 |
98/188 |
| Service imports |
$2.71B
2024 |
106/188 |
| Service exports |
$1.26B
2024 |
125/188 |
| Exports of goods and services, % of GDP |
45%
2025 |
62/193 |
Trinidad and Tobago's top 10 trading partners
Trinidad and Tobago's biggest trading partner accounting for 36.8%% of all exports and imports is the United States, with a trade balance between the two of +$800M — Trinidad and Tobago exports $3.23B worth of goods and services to the United States and imports $2.43B.
Below is the list of the top 10 trade partners of Trinidad and Tobago.
| Rank | Country | Trade value | Share of total trade | Export to | Import from | Top export to | Top import from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
United States
|
$5.65B | 36.8% | $3.23B | $2.43B | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
| 2 |
China
|
$1.26B | 8.22% | $199M | $1.06B | Chemicals & pharma | Machinery & equipment |
| 3 |
Brazil
|
$677M | 4.4% | $222M | $455M | Chemicals & pharma | Raw materials & minerals |
| 4 |
Belgium
|
$594M | 3.87% | $389M | $205M | Raw materials & minerals | Raw materials & minerals |
| 5 |
United Kingdom
|
$565M | 3.68% | $111M | $454M | Chemicals & pharma | Metals |
| 6 |
Guyana
|
$449M | 2.92% | $415M | $33.1M | Raw materials & minerals | Raw agricultural goods |
| 7 |
Netherlands
|
$416M | 2.71% | $274M | $142M | Chemicals & pharma | Raw materials & minerals |
| 8 |
Mexico
|
$338M | 2.2% | $168M | $170M | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
| 9 |
Japan
|
$334M | 2.17% | $34.7M | $299M | Chemicals & pharma | Machinery & equipment |
| 10 |
Germany
|
$318M | 2.07% | $138M | $180M | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
Trinidad and Tobago's top 10 exports
|
Trinidad
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Raw materials & minerals | $4.44B | 78/193 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $1.54B | 64/193 |
| Transport & tourism services | $867M | 122/188 |
| Metals | $768M | 75/192 |
| Processed food, beverages & tobacco | $561M | 99/192 |
| Machinery & equipment | $317M | 105/193 |
| Business & finance services | $221M | 108/188 |
| Wood & paper products | $103M | 98/192 |
| IT & IP services | $73.5M | 116/183 |
| Textiles & consumer goods | $62.3M | 125/193 |
Trinidad and Tobago's top 10 imports
|
Trinidad
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Machinery & equipment | $2.45B | 120/193 |
| Raw materials & minerals | $1.71B | 125/193 |
| Business & finance services | $1.28B | 80/188 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $859M | 116/193 |
| Metals | $788M | 103/193 |
| Transport & tourism services | $724M | 137/188 |
| Processed food, beverages & tobacco | $702M | 119/193 |
| Textiles & consumer goods | $346M | 134/193 |
| Animal & marine products | $290M | 103/193 |
| Raw agricultural goods | $279M | 133/193 |
Economic freedom indices
|
Trinidad
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | 63.6 | 76/197 |
| Property rights | 58.3 | 76/182 |
| Government integrity | 44.7 | 76/182 |
| Judicial effectiveness | 58.5 | 76/182 |
| Tax burden | 79.5 | 87/181 |
| Government spending | 74.5 | 82/180 |
| Fiscal health | 80.9 | 68/181 |
| Business freedom | 72.6 | 64/182 |
| Labor freedom | 60.4 | 62/182 |
| Monetary freedom | 76.3 | 27/180 |
| Trade freedom | 67.6 | 115/181 |
| Investment freedom | 50 | 125/181 |
| Financial freedom | 40 | 130/181 |
Trinidad and Tobago's economic freedom by year
Trinidad and Tobago is ranked 69/180 for economic freedom with a score of 63.6, compared to 18/163 and a score of 71.5 in 2005.
| Year | Index | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | Judicial effectiveness | Tax burden | Government spending | Fiscal health | |
| 1996 | 69.2 | - | 64.5 | 77.5 | - |
| 1997 | 71.3 | - | 68.2 | 79.6 | - |
| 1998 | 72 | - | 67.4 | 78.5 | - |
| 1999 | 72.4 | - | 68.1 | 79.1 | - |
| 2000 | 74.5 | - | 71.2 | 81.3 | - |
| 2001 | 71.8 | - | 70.9 | 76.5 | - |
| 2002 | 70.1 | - | 71.6 | 76.5 | - |
| 2003 | 68.8 | - | 72.4 | 81.8 | - |
| 2004 | 71.3 | - | 71.7 | 83.1 | - |
| 2005 | 71.5 | - | 73.7 | 80.2 | - |
| 2006 | 70.4 | - | 76.5 | 81.1 | - |
| 2007 | 70.6 | - | 82 | 80.6 | - |
| 2008 | 69.5 | - | 81 | 81.7 | - |
| 2009 | 68 | - | 79.7 | 75.6 | - |
| 2010 | 65.7 | - | 80.8 | 72.3 | - |
| 2011 | 66.5 | - | 83.7 | 75.8 | - |
| 2012 | 64.4 | - | 85.5 | 65.1 | - |
| 2013 | 62.3 | - | 84.9 | 60.4 | - |
| 2014 | 62.7 | - | 84.8 | 62.5 | - |
| 2015 | 64.1 | - | 79 | 69.3 | - |
| 2016 | 62.9 | - | 79.4 | 62.3 | - |
| 2017 | 61.2 | 48.7 | 81.4 | 57.7 | 51.8 |
| 2018 | 57.7 | 49.8 | 83.5 | 54.4 | 12.6 |
| 2019 | 57 | 40.6 | 82.3 | 61.9 | 16.6 |
| 2020 | 58.3 | 42.1 | 82.6 | 66.5 | 15.9 |
| 2021 | 59 | 46.9 | 79.5 | 70.9 | 15.8 |
| 2022 | 58.8 | 59.3 | 79.1 | 69 | 12.9 |
| 2023 | 59.5 | 45.2 | 80.3 | 68.5 | 12.7 |
| 2024 | 60.4 | 59.8 | 79.9 | 69.6 | 21.1 |
| 2025 | 63.6 | 58.5 | 79.5 | 74.5 | 80.9 |
More economic indicators
|
Trinidad
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Services, % of GDP |
59.9%
2023 |
75/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
35%
2023 |
35/194 |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP |
0.82%
2023 |
176/193 |
|
GNI, Atlas method
|
$27.4B
2024 |
110/194 |
| GNI per capita, PPP |
$36,280
2024 |
57/191 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$5.6B
2024 |
94/177 |
|
Net foreign direct investment
|
$1.57B
2024 |
23/188 |
|
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
|
-$1.04B
2024 |
181/193 |
|
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
|
$527M
2024 |
61/187 |
| Poverty at national poverty lines |
20%
2020 |
102/176 |
|
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
|
20.1%
2021 |
125/176 |
Compare countries by 7 more topics
GDP per capita map
GDP per capita
Relevant pages:
Trinidad topic pages:
Economy comparisons
The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.
Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.
A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.
Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.