Latin America comprises around 20 countries, which can be subdivided into four regions based on their geographical position: North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America. As of 2023, Latin America accounts for about 8.14 percent of the
- only more populated than North America and Oceania, despite its larger geographical area spanning from Mexico to Cape Horn. The predominant languages spoken in Latin American countries are Spanish and Portuguese.
Latin American economy
From some of the world's most beautiful beaches to incredible landscapes, tourism represents one of the primary contributors to
Latin America’s GDP. The region’s aggregated gross domestic product amounted to approximately 6.57 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, and
tourism and travel industry contributed nearly 400 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. Total GDP generated by the Latin American travel and tourism industry is expected to rise to around 630 billion U.S. dollars by 2028. Regarding
inflation, in Latin America it reached 14.41 percent, considerably above the average in emerging market and developing economies. Some countries in the region have been suffering higher inflation rates, including some cases of
hyper- or chronic inflation. Venezuela and Argentina commonly lead the ranking of the highest inflation rates in Latin America.
Health indicators
In 2022, people living in Latin America had a quite high average
life expectancy at birth, one of the
highest life expectancies at birth in the world. However, substantial differences in the population figures can be observed across the countries. They are a direct result of variations in fertility levels and health care provisions. Recently, Latin America was among the major areas of the world where a
high adolescence birth rate was observed. A few years ago, one of the major health risks Latin American countries are facing was an
infection with the Zika virus, which can pose serious health problems for mothers and their newborns, the
coronavirus also still poses a health risk in the region. More recently, the cyclical and seasonal
cases of Dengue have been increasing overall.
A crime-ridden region
Additionally, Latin America is one of the regions with the highest crime rates worldwide. Out of the world's 10
most violent cities, nine are in Latin America alone – the highest murder rate being found in Colima, Mexico with about 140 homicides per 100,000 residents as of 2024. The violence and the nature of these crimes can be mainly attributed to drug trafficking, gang warfare, and political instability.
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Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
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