In 2017 the government recorded a current budget deficit of NAf.116.8 million. For 2018, however, the government expects a surplus of NAf.42 million on its budget, even though tax income has been lower than initially projected. Meanwhile, Curaçao’s debt-to-GDP ratio has been increasing since 2012. Curaçao entered its status of autonomous country with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 34,6% in 2010.
As you can see, today, the debt-to-GDP ratio exceeds 50%. 12  The government of Curaçao started to borrow in 2014 for the construction of the new hospital, Hospital Nobo Otrobanda (HNO). Therefore, the government issued two bonds, totaling NAf.492.5 million. Currently, the financing of the construction of the hospital represents 17.5% of the total outstanding public debt and 8.8% of our GDP.