{"id":14010,"date":"2026-03-28T13:42:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T13:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elpregonerodechile.com\/?p=14010"},"modified":"2026-03-28T13:42:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T13:42:09","slug":"external-debt-is-the-lowest-in-the-region-el-ciudadano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elpregonerodechile.com\/?p=14010","title":{"rendered":"‘External Debt is the Lowest in the Region’ El Ciudadano"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Original article: Experto internacional en macroeconom\u00eda desmiente crisis fiscal en Chile: \u201cdeuda externa es la m\u00e1s baja de la regi\u00f3n\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n

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Economist Daniel Titelman, Director of the Economic Development Division at ECLAC<\/strong>, described President Kast\u2019s remarks about a supposed lack of fiscal resources as \u00abvery strange and imprecise.\u00bb In an interview with DW Channel, Titelman emphasized that the President inherited a country with an external debt level of around 41%, the lowest in Latin America and significantly lower compared to OECD countries and the developed world.<\/p>\n

The specialist detailed that, although the real deficit has exceeded projections, with a current deficit of \u00ab2.8% of GDP\u00bb and a structural deficit of \u00ab3.8%\u00bb, the situation is not fragile. \u00abIndeed, we would all prefer to have fiscal accounts with a lower deficit, but it is a state with some fiscal constraints, yet a strong state, and a fiscal situation that is comparatively solid against any country in the region or beyond,\u00bb he affirmed.<\/p>\n

Titelman emphasized that the decision not to ease the increase in prices is more a political criterion than a real restriction. \u00abOne will never completely stop the rise, but can smooth it out so that people have to pay more gradually over time, which has a lesser impact on quality of life and people\u2019s wallets,\u00bb explained the director of ECLAC.<\/p>\n

He concluded that, given Chile\u2019s comparative fiscal solidity, \u00abother resources could have been utilized\u00bb to mitigate the impact on citizens, noting that economic management leans \u00abmore toward a political decision than a decision dictated by fiscal accounts.\u00bb<\/p>\n

See DW\u2019s section analyzing Chile\u2019s economy:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00abThe new Government passes the entire fuel price increase onto consumers\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

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