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.

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.

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.

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 11 countries was 12338.87 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Guyana: 29883.63 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Bolivia: 4001.21 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2024, Colombia ranked first by percentage of income held by the richest 20 percent of the population among the 22 countries presented in the ranking. Colombia's percentage of income held amounted to 58.70 percent, while Brazil and Panama, the second and third countries, had records amounting to 56.60 percent and 53.50 percent, respectively.

In 2023, four Caribbean nations were the countries with the highest gross national income per capita in Latin America and the Caribbean. On average, the national gross income amounted to around 31,990 U.S. dollars per person in the Bahamas, an island country which also had one of the highest gross domestic product per capita in this region. Outside the Caribbean Excluding the Caribbean, the economies with the highest national income per capita are generally located in South America, with the exceptions of Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico. Guyana leads among continental states with a national income of around 20.360 U.S. dollars per person. 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. The biggest economies Brazil and Mexico are still miles ahead in the race for the biggest economy of Latin America. As of 2023, both nations exceeded the two trillion U.S. dollars mark in their Gross Domestic Product (GDP). While Argentina's GDP, third place, slightly surpassed the 600 billion U.S. dollars. Nonetheless, both nations also ranked as the most populated by far in the region.

As of 2023, Uruguay was the country in South America with the largest Gross Domestic Product per capita, with ********* US dollars. Guyana landed in second place, with ********* US dollars per capita. When it comes to the total GDP in South America, Brazil led the region this year with more than * trillion U.S. dollars.

In 2025, Luxembourg was the country with the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Of the 20 listed countries, 13 are in Europe and five are in Asia, alongside the U.S. and Australia. There are no African or Latin American countries among the top 20. Correlation with high living standards While GDP is a useful indicator for measuring the size or strength of an economy, GDP per capita is much more reflective of living standards. For example, when compared to life expectancy or indices such as the Human Development Index or the World Happiness Report, there is a strong overlap - 14 of the 20 countries on this list are also ranked among the 20 happiest countries in 2024, and all 20 have "very high" HDIs. Misleading metrics? GDP per capita figures, however, can be misleading, and to paint a fuller picture of a country's living standards then one must look at multiple metrics. GDP per capita figures can be skewed by inequalities in wealth distribution, and in countries such as those in the Middle East, a relatively large share of the population lives in poverty while a smaller number live affluent lifestyles.

As of 2024, three out of ten Latin American and Caribbean cities with the highest local purchasing power were located in Mexico. With an index score of 51.3, people in Querétaro had the highest domestic purchasing power in Mexico. In South America, the city with the highest domestic purchasing power for 2024 was Montevideo, scoring 53 index points.

In Brazil, the richest percent holds nearly **** of the country's total wealth, indicating a high level of inequality in the Latin American country. Meanwhile, in Japan, the richest percent held less than ** percent of the total wealth. Worldwide, South Africa had the highest Gini index, a measure of income distribution.

In 1938, the year before the Second World War, the United States had, by far, the largest economy in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). The five Allied Great Powers that emerged victorious from the war, along with the three Axis Tripartite Pact countries that were ultimately defeated made up the eight largest independent economies in 1938.

When values are converted into 1990 international dollars, the U.S. GDP was over 800 billion dollars in 1938, which was more than double that of the second largest economy, the Soviet Union. Even the combined economies of the UK, its dominions, and colonies had a value of just over 680 billion 1990 dollars, showing that the United States had established itself as the world's leading economy during the interwar period (despite the Great Depression).

Interestingly, the British and Dutch colonies had larger combined GDPs than their respective metropoles, which was a key motivator for the Japanese invasion of these territories in East Asia during the war. Trade with neutral and non-belligerent countries also contributed greatly to the economic development of Allied and Axis powers throughout the war; for example, natural resources from Latin America were essential to the American war effort, while German manufacturing was often dependent on Swedish iron supplies.

Определение: Соотношение между долей общего национального дохода, получаемой 20% самых богатых (квинтиль 5) и 20% самых бедных домохозяйств (квинтиль 1), рассчитанное на основе их среднего дохода на душу населения. [Переведено с en: английского языка] Тематическая область: Социальные показатели и статистика [Переведено с en: английского языка] Область применения: Распределение доходов [Переведено с en: английского языка] Единица измерения: Соотношение [Переведено с en: английского языка] Примечание: Домохозяйства страны распределены по доходу на душу населения. Квинтиль 5 соответствует 20% самых богатых домохозяйств, а квинтиль 1 - 20% самых бедных. [Переведено с es: испанского языка] Источник данных: На основе обследований домашних хозяйств в странах. Банк данных обследований домашних хозяйств (BADEHOG). [Переведено с es: испанского языка] Комментарии: Эти цифры соответствуют обновленной серии оценок, представленных в документе ЭКЛАК (2018) "Измерение бедности по доходам: обновление методологии и результаты". Они не сопоставимы с цифрами, опубликованными в публикациях ЭКЛАК до 2017 года. Показатели бедности, рассчитанные ЭКЛАК, рассчитаны с целью достижения максимально возможной степени сопоставимости для различных аналитических целей. Их цели и способы использования отличаются от национальных показателей, и они ни в коем случае не подменяют их для описания уровней и тенденций бедности в каждой стране. Банк данных обследований домашних хозяйств (BADEHOG): Банк данных обследований домашних хозяйств (BADEHOG) - это хранилище ЭКЛАК, состоящее из набора обследований домашних хозяйств, проведенных в странах Латинской Америки и Карибского бассейна с 1990-х годов. Эти обследования проводятся национальными статистическими управлениями или другими государственными учреждениями соответствующих стран и являются источником информации, официально используемой для измерения бедности, неравенства и различных социальных показателей. Результаты этих обследований передаются ЭКЛАК для использования в деятельности по развитию статистики в регионе, а также для подготовки институциональных и исследовательских документов. Имеющиеся базы данных используются для составления набора согласованных переменных, используемых для расчета социально-экономических показателей с максимально возможной сопоставимостью. [Переведено с es: испанского языка] Последнее обновление: Nov 30 2023 12:39AM Организация-источник: Экономическая комиссия для Латинской Америки и Карибского бассейна [Переведено с en: английского языка] Definition: Ratio between the proportion of total national income received by the richest 20% (quintile 5) and the poorest 20 % of households (quintile 1), ordered on the basis of their average per capita income. Thematic Area: Social Indicators and Statistics Application Area: Income distribution Unit of Measurement: Ratio Note: Households of the country ordered by per capita income. Quintile 5 represents to 20% of the richest households and quintil 1 corresponds to 20% of the poorest. Data Source: Based on household surveys in the countries. Household Survey Data Bank (BADEHOG). Comments: These figures correspond to an updated series of estimates, presented in the ECLAC document (2018), Measuring poverty by income: Methodological update and results. They are not comparable with the figures published in the ECLAC publications before 2017. The poverty figures estimated by ECLAC are calculated with the purpose of achieving the highest possible degree of comparability for various analytical purposes. Their objectives and uses are different from those of the national figures, and in no case do they seek to substitute them to describe the levels and trends of poverty in each country. Household Survey Data Bank (BADEHOG): The Household Survey Data Bank (BADEHOG) is a repository of ECLAC, made up of a set of household surveys conducted by the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean since the 1990s. These surveys are conducted by the National Statistics Offices or other public agencies of the respective countries and share the characteristic of being the source of information officially used to measure poverty, inequality and various social indicators. These surveys are shared with ECLAC for use in the region's statistical development activities, as well as to produce institutional and research documents. The available databases are used to construct a set of harmonized variables used to calculate socioeconomic indicators with the greatest possible comparability. Last Update: Nov 30 2023 12:39AM Source Organization: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Определение: Оценка доли общего национального дохода, получаемого каждыми 20% (квинтилем) населения, распределенной от беднейших к богатейшим на основе среднего дохода домохозяйства на душу населения. [Переведено с en: английского языка] Тематическая область: Социальные показатели и статистика [Переведено с en: английского языка] Область применения: Распределение доходов [Переведено с en: английского языка] Единица измерения: Доля в общем национальном доходе [Переведено с en: английского языка] Примечание: ЦРТ. Дополнительный показатель, предложенный ЭКЛАК. Цель 1 / Показатель e. Доходы населения классифицируются по квинтилям на основе дохода на душу населения. Квинтиль 1 состоит из беднейших слоев населения, квинтиль 5 соответствует самым богатым. [Переведено с es: испанского языка] Источник данных: На основе обследований домашних хозяйств в странах. Банк данных обследований домашних хозяйств (BADEHOG). [Переведено с es: испанского языка] Комментарии: Эти цифры соответствуют обновленной серии оценок, представленных в документе ЭКЛАК (2018) "Измерение бедности по доходам: обновление методологии и результаты". Они не сопоставимы с цифрами, опубликованными в публикациях ЭКЛАК до 2017 года. Показатели бедности, рассчитанные ЭКЛАК, рассчитаны с целью достижения максимально возможной степени сопоставимости для различных аналитических целей. Их цели и способы использования отличаются от национальных показателей, и они ни в коем случае не подменяют их для описания уровней и тенденций бедности в каждой стране. Банк данных обследований домашних хозяйств (BADEHOG): Банк данных обследований домашних хозяйств (BADEHOG) - это хранилище ЭКЛАК, состоящее из набора обследований домашних хозяйств, проведенных в странах Латинской Америки и Карибского бассейна с 1990-х годов. Эти обследования проводятся национальными статистическими управлениями или другими государственными учреждениями соответствующих стран и являются источником информации, официально используемой для измерения бедности, неравенства и различных социальных показателей. Результаты этих обследований передаются ЭКЛАК для использования в деятельности по развитию статистики в регионе, а также для подготовки институциональных и исследовательских документов. Имеющиеся базы данных используются для составления набора согласованных переменных, используемых для расчета социально-экономических показателей с максимально возможной сопоставимостью. [Переведено с es: испанского языка] Последнее обновление: Nov 30 2023 12:42AM Организация-источник: Экономическая комиссия для Латинской Америки и Карибского бассейна [Переведено с en: английского языка] Definition: Estimate of the proportion of the total national income received by every 20% (quintile) of the population distributed from the poorest to the richest on the basis of the average per capita income of the household. Thematic Area: Social Indicators and Statistics Application Area: Income distribution Unit of Measurement: Percentage of total national income Note: MDG. Additional indicator proposed by ECLAC. Goal 1 / Indicator e. People income is classified by quintiles, based on per capita income. Quintile 1 es composed of the poorest people, quintile 5 corresponds to the richest. Data Source: Based on household surveys in the countries. Household Survey Data Bank (BADEHOG). Comments: These figures correspond to an updated series of estimates, presented in the ECLAC document (2018), Measuring poverty by income: Methodological update and results. They are not comparable with the figures published in the ECLAC publications before 2017. The poverty figures estimated by ECLAC are calculated with the purpose of achieving the highest possible degree of comparability for various analytical purposes. Their objectives and uses are different from those of the national figures, and in no case do they seek to substitute them to describe the levels and trends of poverty in each country. Household Survey Data Bank (BADEHOG): The Household Survey Data Bank (BADEHOG) is a repository of ECLAC, made up of a set of household surveys conducted by the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean since the 1990s. These surveys are conducted by the National Statistics Offices or other public agencies of the respective countries and share the characteristic of being the source of information officially used to measure poverty, inequality and various social indicators. These surveys are shared with ECLAC for use in the region's statistical development activities, as well as to produce institutional and research documents. The available databases are used to construct a set of harmonized variables used to calculate socioeconomic indicators with the greatest possible comparability. Last Update: Nov 30 2023 12:42AM Source Organization: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

In 2022, about 40 percent of adults in Mexico held a net worth under 10,000 U.S. dollars. In contrast, merely 393,000 Mexicans (that is, 0.4 percent of the total) had a net worth of over one million U.S. dollars. Mexico is one of the most unequal countries in Latin America regarding wealth distribution, with 78.7 percent of the national wealth held by the richest ten percent of the population.

The minimum salaryThe minimum wage per day guaranteed by law in Mexico was decreed to increase by 22 percent between 2021 and 2022, reaching 172.87 Mexican pesos in 2022. In the Free Zone located near the northern border the minimum daily wage was raised to 260.34 Mexican pesos.This represented the fourth consecutive incrase since 2019, but could prove to be insufficient to maintain the wellbeing of Mexican workers after the soaring inflation rate registered in 2022 and the economic impact of the COVID-19 in Mexican households. The legal minimum salary has a long history in the North American country, it was first implemented with the approval of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States in 1917. Income inequality in Latin AmericaLatin America, as other developing regions in the world, generally records high rates of inequality, with a Gini coefficient ranging between 38 and 54 among the region’s countries. Moreover, many of the countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution worldwide are found in Latin America. According to the Human Development Report 2019, wealth redistribution by means of tax transfers improves Latin America's Gini coefficient to a lesser degree than it does in advanced economies. Wider access to education and health services, on the other hand, have been proven to have a greater direct effect in improving Gini coefficient measurements in the region.

The average personal wealth of the bottom 50 percent in Mexico was valued at -200 euros. That is, on average, people from this group had more debts than assets. On the other hand, the richest one percent held an average wealth of 2.91 million euros in this Latin American country. Similarly, Chilean's average personal wealth of the one percent reached 2.67 million euros that same year.

In 2024, the Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim Helu and his family had a fortune worth of 102 billion U.S. dollars and was thus the richest person in the country. The Helu family owns América Móvil, Latin America's biggest mobile telecom company.The second richest person in Mexico that year was German Larrea Velasco, who owns the majority of Mexico’s largest copper mining company, with a fortune of nearly 28 billion U.S. dollars.

In 2023, the Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America were the regions with the lowest level of distribution of wealth worldwide, with the richest ten percent holding around ** percent of the total wealth. On the other hand, in Europe, the richest ten percent held around ** percent of the wealth. East and South Asia were the regions where the poorest half of the population held the highest share of the wealth, but still only around **** percent, underlining the high levels of wealth inequalities worldwide.