In 2023, Argentina was the Latin American country with the highest misery index score of 321.8 points. Venezuela ranked second with around 276.3 points. During that same year, both countries also led the inflation ranking in Latin America.

In 2022, Zimbabwe was ranked as the most miserable country in the world with a misery index score of 414.7. Venezuela ranked second with an index score of 330.8.

Quality of life around the world The misery index was created by the economist Arthur Okun in the 1960s. The index is calculated by adding the unemployment rate, the lending rate and the inflation rate minus percent change of GDP per capita.

Another famous tool used for the comparison of development of countries around the world is the Human Development Index, which takes into account such factors as life expectancy at birth, literacy rate, education level and gross national income (GNI) per capita.

Better economic conditions correlate with higher quality of life

Economic conditions affect the life expectancy, which is much higher in the wealthiest regions. With a life expectancy of 85 years, Japan led the ranking of countries with the highest life expectancy in 2020. On the other hand, Lesotho was the country with the lowest life expectancy, where men were expected to live 50 years as of 2022.

The Global Liveability Index ranks the quality of life in cities around the world, basing on political, social, economic and environmental aspects, such as personal safety and health, education and transport services and other public services. In 2022, Vienna was ranked as the city with the highest quality of life worldwide.

In 2021, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the city with the highest poverty rate of the United States' most populated cities. In this statistic, the cities are sorted by poverty rate, not population. The most populated city in 2021 according to the source was New York city - which had a poverty rate of 18 percent.

This statistic illustrates the air pollution level in South American cities as of 2018. In that year, with a PM10 average of 95 microgram per cubic meter, Santa Gertrudes in Brazil was the most polluted city in South America.

Santa María – a Peruvian city located to the west of the Andes mountain range – was the most polluted city in Latin America in 2024, based on fine air particulate matter concentration (PM2.5). That year, the city reported an average PM2.5 concentration of 53.4 micrograms per cubic meter. This was followed by Coyhaique, located in Chile, with an estimated PM2.5 concentration of around 40.5 μg/m³. Pollution in Latin American capitals The Chilean capital, Santiago, registered an average PM2.5 concentration of 21.3 μg/m³ in 2023. Lima, the Peruvian capital, had an estimated PM2.5 concentration of around 19.7 μg/m³, while in the capital of Mexico (Mexico City), air pollution amounted to 22.3 μg/m³. The World Health Organization's air quality standards recommend a maximum annual average concentration of 10 μg/m³. The burden of pollution on health Air particulate pollution has been associated with an increase in mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as development of lung cancer. This is specially concerning considering that nearly 2.8 billion people worldwide are exposed to hazardous levels of air pollution. In particular, South Asia was home to the countries with the highest exposure to hazardous concentrations of air pollution in 2022.

The city of Bogotá, Colombia, ranked first as the Latin American metropolis most prone to traffic jams in 2020. According to the index, the Colombian capital experienced that year an average traffic increase of 53 percent during rush hours, in comparison to the city's level of traffic in uncongested times. Peru's capital, Lima, recorded the second worst congestion level that year, meaning that a road trip during peak hours took around 42 percent longer than under low traffic conditions. Out of the top 12 Latin American cities evaluated in 2020, seven are located in Brazil.

Bogotá, the Colombian capital city, was home to one of the most saturated metropolitan areas in Latin America in 2021, based on the annual number of hours lost in congestion over a year. In Bogotá, drivers spent an average of 94 hours per year held up in traffic jams. Compared to 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the Latin American cities analyzed saw decreases in traffic delays. For instance, São Paulo registered a 13.5 percent fall in congestion, with an average of 45 hours lost in 2021. By contrast, traffic jam delays in Mexico City have increased by over 39 percent since 2020. According to another study, Bogotá is also the city with the worst traffic congestion levels in Latin America.

The city of Bogotá, Colombia, ranked second as the Latin American metropolis most prone to traffic jams in 2024. According to the index, the Colombian capital experienced an average traffic increase of 44 percent during rush hours. Peru's capital, Lima, recorded the fifth-worst congestion level that year, meaning that driving in the city took around 39 percent longer at peak time than under low traffic conditions. Out of the top 10 Latin American cities evaluated in 2024, five are located in Colombia.