Capital outflow
Capital leaving a country in excess of what enters: repayment of external debt, purchases of foreign assets, withdrawals by non-residents.
How to read the number
Not a verdict in itself — repaying external debt is also an outflow, and it leaves the country less vulnerable rather than more.
When the metric lies
The figure is computed from the balance of payments and gets revised, yet public discussion almost always reads it as flight whatever its composition.
Also known as: capital flight