In 2024, Brazil and Mexico were expected to be the countries with the largest gross domestic product (GDP) in Latin America and the Caribbean. In that year, Brazil's GDP could reach an estimated value of 2.4 trillion U.S. dollars, whereas Mexico's amounted to almost two trillion U.S. dollars. GDP is the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a given year. It measures the economic strength of a country and a positive change indicates economic growth.

In 2023, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas were the states with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Latin America and the Caribbean. The average GDP generated per person in the Bahamas amounted to 34,749 U.S. dollars, whereas the average wealth created per capita in Puerto Rico was estimated at around 34,749 U.S. dollars. In that same year, this region's lowest GDP per capita was that of Haiti, at less than 1,693 U.S. dollars per person per year. The largest economies in Latin America GDP is the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year. It is an important indicator to measure the economic strength of a country and the average wealth of its population. By far, the two largest economies in the region are Brazil and Mexico, both registering GDPs three times bigger than the third place, Argentina. Nonetheless, they are the two most populated countries by a great margin.
Key economic indicators of Latin America Latin America emerges as an important region in the world economy, as of 2023, around 7.3 percent of the global GDP, a similar share to the Middle East. Nevertheless, the economic development of most of its countries has been heavily affected by other factors, such as corruption, inequality, inflation, or crime and violence. Countries such as Venezuela, Suriname, and Argentina are constantly ranking among the highest inflation rates in the world. While Jamaica, Ecuador, and Haiti rank as some of the most crime-ridden states.

Haiti is expected to experience the worst economic recession in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024. Haiti's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024 is forecast to be 3 percent lower than the value registered in 2023, based on constant prices. Aside from Argentina, Haiti, and Puerto Rico, most economies in the region were likely to experience economic growth in 2024, most notably, Guyana.

The average for 2023 based on 19 countries was 9351.03 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Puerto Rico: 30122.84 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Haiti: 1210.03 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

According to recent estimates, the most affected sectors by the coronavirus pandemic in Latin America would be wholesale and retail trade as well as services in general, such as tourism, foodservice, transport, and communications. In 2020, this group of most affected sectors was forecasted to represent more than 16 percent of Brazil’s gross domestic product (GDP). Among the countries shown in this graph, Brazil is the nation where sectors moderately affected by the pandemic could represent the highest contribution to GDP (75.8 percent).

Which Latin American economies were most vulnerable to the pandemic? In 2020, the economic sectors most affected by the coronavirus pandemic - wholesale and retail, hotels and restaurants, transport and services in general - were forecasted to account for 35.5 percent of Panama’s GDP. In addition, the moderately and most affected economic segments were estimated to contribute the most to Panama’s GDP (a combined 97.6 percent) than any other country in this region. A similar scenario was projected in Mexico, where the sectors that would least suffer the pandemic's negative effects would account for only 3.4 percent of GDP.

Did the pandemic put a stop to economic growth in Latin America? Economic growth changed dramatically after the COVID-19 outbreak. Most of the largest economies in Latin America fell under recession in 2020. Estimates predict a more optimistic scenario for 2021, with countries such as Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina growing their GDP at least five percent.

GDP per capita is gross domestic product divided by midyear population. GDP is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Guyana was the South American country 20360the highest gross national income per capita, with 20,360 U.S. dollars per person in 2023. Uruguay ranked second, registering a GNI of 19,530 U.S. dollars per person, based on current prices. Gross national income (GNI) is the aggregated sum of the value added by residents in an economy, plus net taxes (minus subsidies) and net receipts of primary income from abroad. Which are the largest Latin American economies? Based on annual gross domestic product, which is the total amount of goods and services produced in a country per year, Brazil leads the regional ranking, followed by Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. Many Caribbean countries and territories hold the highest GDP per capita in this region, measurement that reflects how GDP would be divided if it was perfectly equally distributed among the population. GNI per capita is, however, a more exact calculation of wealth than GDP per capita, as it takes into consideration taxes paid and income receipts from abroad. How much inequality is there in Latin America? In many Latin American countries, more than half the total wealth created in their economies is held by the richest 20 percent of the population. When a small share of the population concentrates most of the wealth, millions of people don't have enough to make ends meet. For instance, in Brazil, about 5.32 percent of the population lives on less than 3.2 U.S. dollars per day.

As of April 2021, Mexico's gross domestic product (GDP) was forecasted to increase by five percent during 2021. Mexico was one of the Latin American countries that faced the worst recession after the COVID-19 pandemic, as its GDP fell over eight percent in 2020. Among the biggest economies in the region, Brazil was expected to experience one of the lowest GDP growth in 2021, at around 3.7 percent.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

In 2017, Brazil’s gross domestic product reached 2.05 billion U.S. dollars, 63 percent of which came from the services sector. The service sector consists of the provision of services both to other businesses and to final consumers, and the service sector often encompasses transportation, distribution, and sale of goods.

Brazil’s position in the global economy

Nations with economies built on the service sector are considered more advanced than industrial or agricultural economies, and indeed, Brazil is considered an advanced emerging economy with the largest share of wealth in Latin America. Brazil has the eighth largest GDP in the world and is one of the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) — certain countries with strong economic development and rising influence on regional affairs.

Brazil’s economic strengths and challenges

Brazil is also known for its agriculture and food production, with its main products including soybeans, beef, and coffee. As of 2018, Brazil is the leading producer of coffee, at over 61 thousand 60 kilogram bags. The country has an estimated 21.8 trillion U.S. dollars of natural resource commodities, including, gold, iron, oil, and timber. However,retrieving them often happens at the expense of the environment, including ongoing deforestation in the Amazon Basin, which contains the largest rainforest in the world.

In 2024, Mexico ranked as the country with the second-best economic performance amongst the seven Latin American nations included in the ranking, with a index score of 49.88 in a scale from 0 to 100, only behind Puerto Rico. Venezuela obtained the worst score in this macro-economic evaluation of the domestic economy, at 28.85 index points.

As of 2023 estimates, Guatemala registered the highest gross domestic product (GDP) in Central America with around 102.04 billion USD, closely followed by Costa Rica. In contrast, Belize ranked with the lowest GDP with just over three billion.

The average for 2022 based on 19 countries was 2397.66 thousand short tons. The highest value was in Brazil: 19611.65 thousand short tons and the lowest value was in Nicaragua: 0 thousand short tons. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2024, digital influencer advertising spending in Latin America and the Caribbean will surpass an estimated 1.12 billion U.S. dollars, up 12.6 percent from 999 million dollars a year earlier. The annual figure was projected to continue to rise in the following years, exceeding 1.82 billion dollars by the end of the decade. As of early 2023, less than 80 percent of the population of the region's largest economies – Brazil and Mexico – used social media.

The Brazilian influencer ad market Over half of the adults surveyed in Brazil at the end of 2023 included film, TV, and music among their favorite online influencer genres, with business and economy rounding up the top three, selected by nearly half of the respondents. According to another late 2023 study, Instagram was the social media platform most brands used for influencer marketing in Brazil. TikTok and YouTube followed, mentioned by around 60 and 40 percent of participating companies, respectively.

Influencer marketing in Mexico Meanwhile, Mexico's most popular influencer genres also included film, TV, and music, but comedy also made it to the top three – all mentioned by over half of consumers surveyed in 2023. The North American country harbors influencers such as Kimberly Guadalupe Loaiza Martínez, better known as Kim Loaiza, and actress and singer Danna Paola, both of which had over 30 million Instagram followers as of early 2023.

In 2024, Brazil held approximately 29 percent of the e-commerce market in Latin America and the Caribbean, closely followed by Mexico with over 26 percent. Throughout the year, various economies in the region were poised to increase their market share, with Brazil and Mexico exhibiting the most substantial growth in online sales. The largest market has a foreign leader In 2023, Latin America saw its largest e-commerce economy thrive. That year, online shopping in Brazil generated nearly 186 billion Brazilian reals in revenue. Competition among online retailers for Brazilian shoppers is fierce, but Mercado Libre (Mercado Livre in Brazil), founded in Argentina, remains at the forefront. In February 2024 alone, this marketplace attracted close to 321 million shoppers to its platform, surpassing its closest rival, Amazon Brasil, by 11 percent. Mobile commerce: a game-changer Mobile devices have played a pivotal role in democratizing internet access and online purchasing in Latin America. By the end of 2024, mobile retail e-commerce sales in the region reached approximately 97 billion U.S. dollars, tripling the 2019 figures before the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil emerged as the regional leader in m-commerce revenue, with sales amounting to about 30 billion in 2022, and showed the highest mobile participation over total online retail sales.

The average for 2022 based on 11 countries was 1026.03 million U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Brazil: 7651.75 million U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Guyana: 0.11 million U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 2007 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in South Korea was worth 1712.79 billion US dollars in 2023, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of South Korea represents 1.62 percent of the world economy. This dataset provides - South Korea GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The average for 2022 based on 5 countries was 254.46 billion U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Brazil: 794.42 billion U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Argentina: 52.95 billion U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1975 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

According to a study, the global economy is expected to face a negative deviation in GDP growth due to climate change by the year 2048. The largest economies in Latin America are no exception: Mexico, for instance, is projected to experience a decrease of almost 0.6 percent in its real GDP, in a scenario where global temperatures increase by 4.1 degrees Celsius, compared to the baseline period from 1986 to 2005. In this same scenario, Colombia would face a decrease of almost one percent in its real GDP by 2048.

This statistic shows the share of economic sectors in gross domestic product (GDP) in Latin America & Caribbean from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, the share of agriculture in Latin America & Caribbean's gross domestic product was 6.51 percent, industry contributed approximately 31.04 percent and the services sector contributed approximately 65.43 percent.

The average for 2022 based on 12 countries was 72.9 years. The highest value was in Chile: 79.52 years and the lowest value was in Bolivia: 64.93 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.