In 2025, 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 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars, whereas Mexico's amounted to almost 1.8 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.

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.

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.

This dataset provides values for GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

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.

The average for 2024 based on 19 countries was 19884 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Puerto Rico: 44125 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Haiti: 2801 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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.

List of Top Disciplines of Latin American Economic Outlook sorted by citations.

List of Top Disciplines of Latin American Political Economy sorted by citations.

Graph and download economic data for Nasdaq Latin America Banks Large Mid Cap TR Index (NASDAQNQLA3010LMT) from 2001-03-30 to 2025-12-01 about mid cap, Latin America, market cap, NASDAQ, large, banks, depository institutions, and indexes.

List of Top Authors of Latin American Political Economy sorted by citations.

The average for 2021 based on 12 countries was 34.3 percent. The highest value was in Colombia: 43.7 percent and the lowest value was in El Salvador: 29 percent. The indicator is available from 1963 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The Latin American IT market, while exhibiting a smaller market size compared to North America or Europe, presents significant growth potential. Driven by increasing digitalization across sectors like BFSI, retail, and manufacturing, coupled with government initiatives promoting technological advancement, the region is experiencing robust expansion. A compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.50% from 2019-2033 indicates sustained upward momentum. While challenges remain, such as infrastructure limitations in certain areas and economic volatility in specific countries, the overall trajectory is positive. The market segmentation reveals strong demand across enterprise sizes, with both SMEs and large enterprises investing in IT solutions to enhance efficiency and competitiveness. Brazil and Mexico are likely to be the leading contributors to overall growth, due to their larger economies and more developed IT infrastructure compared to other Latin American nations. The increasing adoption of cloud computing, AI, and cybersecurity solutions are key trends shaping market dynamics. Furthermore, the rising penetration of smartphones and internet access fuels the demand for IT services and software solutions catering to a growing digital population. This creates opportunities for both multinational corporations and regional IT players. The forecast period from 2025 to 2033 holds particularly promising prospects for sustained growth, driven by ongoing digital transformation across all sectors of the Latin American economy. The competitive landscape is diverse, featuring both global giants like IBM, SAP, and Oracle, and regional players specializing in localized solutions. The presence of these global players indicates the recognition of the market's growth potential. However, smaller regional companies also hold significant market share, catering to specific needs and preferences of local businesses. This dynamic interplay between global and regional players ensures a healthy competitive environment, fostering innovation and affordability for diverse segments within the market. Future growth will depend on factors such as government investment in digital infrastructure, economic stability across the region, and the increasing adoption of advanced technologies. Effective strategies for overcoming infrastructure challenges and catering to the diverse needs of different countries within Latin America will prove critical to achieving sustained market growth in the coming years. Recent developments include: JUN 2022 - Alphabet's Google announced plans to invest USD 1.2 billion in Latin America over the next five years to assist economic development and digital change in the area, where it has been operating since 2005., APR 2022 - TOTVS SA announced that its subsidiary, TOTVS Tecnologia em Software de Gesto Ltda (TOTVS Tecnologia), entered an Agreement of Sale and Purchase of Shares and Other Covenants. Under this agreement, TOTVS acquired shares representing 100% of the capital stock of GESPLAN SA for BRL 40 million in cash.. Key drivers for this market are: Growth of Enterprise Software and the Workplace Automation Industry in the Latin American Market, High Penetration of Manufacturing Companies in Mexico, Chile, and Peru May Propel the Market's Growth. Potential restraints include: Growth of Enterprise Software and the Workplace Automation Industry in the Latin American Market, High Penetration of Manufacturing Companies in Mexico, Chile, and Peru May Propel the Market's Growth. Notable trends are: Growth of Enterprise Software and the Workplace Automation Industry in the Latin American Market.

United States Treasury Securities: Foreign Holder: Latin America data was reported at 489.758 USD bn in Jan 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 496.453 USD bn for Dec 2024. United States Treasury Securities: Foreign Holder: Latin America data is updated monthly, averaging 427.467 USD bn from Dec 2011 (Median) to Jan 2025, with 158 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 521.161 USD bn in Sep 2024 and a record low of 331.815 USD bn in Dec 2011. United States Treasury Securities: Foreign Holder: Latin America data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Department of the Treasury. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.Z061: Major Foreign Holders of US Treasury Securities.

The average for 2023 based on 20 countries was 0.87 percent. The highest value was in Venezuela: 1.88 percent and the lowest value was in Puerto Rico: -0.45 percent. The indicator is available from 1961 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Brazil, the most populated country and the economy with the highest GDP in Latin America, had the largest market research revenue in the region in 2022. Out of all the Latin American and Caribbean countries included in the study, Brazil ranked first, with a market research revenue of *** million U.S. dollars, followed by Mexico, with *** million U.S. dollars.

Graph and download economic data for Nasdaq Latin America Energy Large Mid Cap TR Index (NASDAQNQLA60LMT) from 2019-03-18 to 2025-11-07 about mid cap, Latin America, market cap, NASDAQ, large, energy, and indexes.

Graph and download economic data for Nasdaq Latin America Retail Large Mid Cap TR Index (NASDAQNQLA4040LMT) from 2004-03-31 to 2025-11-07 about mid cap, Latin America, market cap, NASDAQ, large, retail, and indexes.

IntroductionWe aimed to examine utilitarian bicycle use among adults from 18 large Latin American cities and its association with socio-economic position (education and income) between 2008 and 2018.MethodsData came from yearly cross-sectional surveys collected by the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF). A total of 77,765 survey respondents with complete data were used to estimate multilevel logistic regression models with city as random intercept and year as random slope.ResultsIndividuals with high education and high-income levels had lower odds of using a bicycle compared with participants with lower education and income levels. These associations, however, changed over time with the odds of bicycle use increasing for all groups, especially among individuals with the highest education and income levels.DiscussionOur results confirm the broadening appeal of bicycling across socio-economic positions in several Latin American cities and reinforce the importance of considering policies aimed at supporting and enhancing bicycle travel for all users.

This dataset accompanies the study The Cultural Resource Curse: How Trade Dependence Undermines Creative Industries. It contains country-year panel data for 2000–2023 covering both OECD economies and the ten largest Latin American countries by land area. Variables include GDP per capita (constant PPP, USD), trade openness, internet penetration, education indicators, cultural exports per capita, and executive constraints from the Polity V dataset.

The dataset supports a comparative analysis of how economic structure, institutional quality, and infrastructure shape cultural export performance across development contexts. Within-country fixed effects models show that trade openness constrains cultural exports in OECD economies but has no measurable effect in resource-dependent Latin America. In contrast, strong executive constraints benefit cultural industries in advanced economies while constraining them in extraction-oriented systems. The results provide empirical evidence for a two-stage development framework in which colonial extraction legacies create distinct constraints on creative industry growth.

All variables are harmonized to ISO3 country codes and aligned on a common panel structure. The dataset is fully reproducible using the included Jupyter notebooks (OECD.ipynb, LATAM+OECD.ipynb, cervantes.ipynb).

Contents:

• GDPPC.csv — GDP per capita series from the World Bank.

• explanatory.csv — Trade openness, internet penetration, and education indicators.

• culture_exports.csv — UNESCO cultural export data.

• p5v2018.csv — Polity V institutional indicators.

• Jupyter notebooks for data processing and replication.

Potential uses: Comparative political economy, cultural economics, institutional development, and resource curse research.

How to Run This Dataset and Code in Google Colab

These steps reproduce the OECD vs. Latin America analyses from the paper using the provided CSVs and notebooks.

1) Open Colab and set up

1. Go to https://colab.research.google.com

2. Click File → New notebook.

3. (Optional) If your files are in Google Drive, mount it:

2) Get the data files into Colab

You have two easy options:

A. Upload the 4 CSVs + notebooks directly

• In the left sidebar, click the folder icon → Upload.

• Upload: GDPPC.csv, explanatory.csv, culture_exports.csv, p5v2018.csv, and any .ipynb you want to run.

B. Use Google Drive

• Put those files in a Drive folder.

• After mounting Drive, refer to them with paths like /content/drive/MyDrive/your_folder/GDPPC.csv.