Fiscal balance, cash surplus/deficit (current US$) by country
Cash surplus or deficit is revenue (including grants) minus expense, minus net acquisition of nonfinancial assets. In the 1986 GFS manual nonfinancial assets were included under revenue and expenditure in gross terms. This cash surplus or deficit is closest to the earlier overall budget balance (still missing is...
What the numbers show
Fiscal balance, cash surplus/deficit (current US$) is currently reported for 29 countries. The highest value is 1.18 billion current US$ in Congo; the lowest is -23.23 billion current US$ in Egypt.
The median across all reporting countries is -235.31 million current US$, and the mean is -1.90 billion current US$.
Over the past decade 7 countries rose and 19 fell. The largest increase was in Congo (up 785.3%), and the largest decrease in Zambia (down 1,853.3%).
Fiscal balance, cash surplus/deficit: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congo | 1.18 billion current US$ | 2005 | up 785.3% | volatile |
| 2 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 500.94 million current US$ | 2010 | up 380.2% | volatile |
| 3 | Namibia | 172.72 million current US$ | 2007 | up 282.6% | volatile |
| 4 | Lesotho | 91.82 million current US$ | 2008 | up 101.1% | volatile |
| 5 | Seychelles | 58.87 million current US$ | 2011 | up 207.6% | volatile |
| 6 | Cameroon | 13.02 million current US$ | 1999 | up 102.1% | volatile |
| 7 | Liberia | -135,782 current US$ | 2011 | down 212.0% | volatile |
| 8 | Burundi | -19.05 million current US$ | 1999 | up 28.9% | rising |
| 9 | Togo | -40.69 million current US$ | 2011 | down 525.9% | volatile |
| 10 | Eswatini | -52.43 million current US$ | 2003 | — | volatile |
| 11 | Cape Verde | -58.91 million current US$ | 2009 | — | volatile |
| 12 | Benin | -104.22 million current US$ | 2011 | down 743.5% | volatile |
| 13 | Sierra Leone | -137.38 million current US$ | 2011 | down 85.8% | volatile |
| 14 | Madagascar | -181.46 million current US$ | 2008 | down 129.0% | falling |
| 15 | Mali | -235.31 million current US$ | 2010 | down 188.5% | volatile |
| 16 | Zambia | -242.11 million current US$ | 2010 | down 1,853.3% | volatile |
| 17 | Burkina Faso | -246.05 million current US$ | 2011 | down 67.6% | falling |
| 18 | Botswana | -297.00 million current US$ | 2011 | down 162.8% | volatile |
| 19 | Ethiopia | -411.42 million current US$ | 2011 | down 20.8% | falling |
| 20 | Zimbabwe | -440.00 million current US$ | 1997 | down 90.5% | falling |
| 21 | Algeria | -565.73 million current US$ | 2011 | down 103.7% | volatile |
| 22 | Uganda | -652.82 million current US$ | 2011 | down 1,078.4% | volatile |
| 23 | Kenya | -1.53 billion current US$ | 2011 | down 688.8% | volatile |
| 24 | Ghana | -1.55 billion current US$ | 2011 | down 348.2% | volatile |
| 25 | Tunisia | -1.72 billion current US$ | 2011 | down 266.4% | volatile |
| 26 | Nigeria | -3.43 billion current US$ | 2008 | — | volatile |
| 27 | Morocco | -4.12 billion current US$ | 2011 | down 224.3% | volatile |
| 28 | South Africa | -17.77 billion current US$ | 2011 | down 1,536.1% | volatile |
| 29 | Egypt | -23.23 billion current US$ | 2011 | down 292.0% | volatile |
About this data
Cash surplus or deficit is revenue (including grants) minus expense, minus net acquisition of nonfinancial assets. In the 1986 GFS manual nonfinancial assets were included under revenue and expenditure in gross terms. This cash surplus or deficit is closest to the earlier overall budget balance (still missing is lending minus repayments, which are now a financing item under net acquisition of financial assets).