Central America’s positive but weakening economic growth trend is expected to continue into the coming years, fuelled by the diverging economies of its constituent countries. ICR looks at the supply and demand variation throughout the region, and how capacity expansion is set to continue in a region where utilisation rates are low.
Central America – from Belize and Guatemala in the north to Panama in the south and including the Caribbean – has experienced a positive but weakening economic growth trend for some time. The most recent figures indicate this trend has continued in recent years. GDP growth in central America reached 3.1 per cent in 2016, followed by an estimated 2.3 per cent in 2017 and expected to slip further to 2.1 per cent this year, according to the IMF.
