Country risk ratings and financial crises 1995 – 2001: a survival analysis

Keep in mind

La serie Borradores de Economía es una publicación de la Subgerencia de Estudios Económicos del Banco de la República. Los trabajos son de carácter provisional, las opiniones y posibles errores son responsabilidad exclusiva del autor y sus contenidos no comprometen al Banco de la República ni a su Junta Directiva.

Autor o Editor
Leonardo Bonilla
Andrés Felipe García
Mónica Roa

Financial system’s health is a signal of economic growth therefore it is a key indicator to investors. As a consequence, one of the main purposes of policymakers is to keep its stability as well as protect it from foreign activity. Both financial and economic activity in general are susceptible of crises, as soon as this happen a country may face default risk, which can be measured with long term debt risk rating of countries. Through this variable we propose the use the survival analysis methodology, to analyze falls rating duration and capability of macroeconomic variables to predict that event. From the analysis, we point out important differences between developed and emerging economies, with variables which stand out exchange risk and economies indebtedness.


The series Borradores de Economía is published by the Economic Studies Department at the Banco de la República (Central Bank of Colombia). The works published are provisional, and their authors are fully responsible for the opinions expressed in them, as well as for possible mistakes. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Banco de la República or its Board of Directors.