El Banco Mundial ha trabajado para fortalecer los registros sociales en ALC y a nivel mundial Décadas. La presente nota técnica tiene por objeto contribuir a reducir la la falta de conocimientos sobre el estado de la cuestión y los retos de la registros sociales en ALC, identificar dónde se...

Most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are implementing fast payment systems (FPS), often with the goal of enhancing access to and use of affordable financial services. FPS offer immediate transfer of funds on a 24x7 basis between end users. This paper assesses how FPS can promote...

Competition is a core element of economic growth, but empirical evidence on how competition affects productivity is often limited. Competition and Productivity Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean presents new empirical research that shows how competition policy in the region has...

This report assesses the current performance of tourism in the Caribbean1 and, in light of the new trends, identifies future pathways and policies for sustainable growth in three targeted segments. These segments were selected to include the traditional markets of cruise and all-inclusive resort...

Widening income disparities, higher corruption and larger informality in many emerging market and developing economies (EMDE) including Latin America, all with pressing and mounting fiscal problems, have rekindled interest in the empirical analysis of the key factors determining the occurrence...

Trade flows are the result of the interaction between buyers and sellers. Understanding how these firm-to-firm relationships form, survive, and evolve over time helps identify how countries can improve their export outcomes. Using a very granular dataset of United States import transactions from...

A study conducted by the European Parliamentary Research Service (2023) notes that the European Union's (EU) relations with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries are being affected by changes in global power, economic uncertainty, and security threats. The current working paper...

This report assesses the current performance of tourism in the Caribbean and, in light of the new trends, identifies future pathways and policies for sustainable growth in three targeted segments. These segments were selected to include the traditional markets of cruise and all-inclusive resort...

ADVANCE COPY: This chapter is an advance excerpt from the upcoming World Bank report "Organized Crime and Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean" which will be released on Monday, April 28th, 2025

The pros and cons of CBDCs have been examined in numerous writings but much less research has focused on specific economies or regions. This paper attempts to fill that gap for the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) economies. It first examines the views of central banks in the region toward...

We examine gender gaps in early childhood cognitive and social-behavioral skills across several Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Our study complements previous research focused on older children by analyzing the preschool period, a critical stage for lifelong human capital...

En este informe se resumen las principales tendencias relacionados con la pobreza y la desigualdad en América Latina y la Caribe (ALC) utilizando la última ronda de encuestas de hogares de la Base de Datos Socioeconómicos de América Latina América y el Caribe (SEDLAC) creado por el Banco...

This study offers the first comprehensive estimates of populations in Latin America and the Caribbean at heightened risk of poverty or deeper impoverishment due to structural factors and risks, particularly climate-related events. The populations of Peru, Colombia, and Honduras exhibit the...

Public development banks are key to climate financing in Latin America and the Caribbean Here's how they're supporting the region's climate transition. In this publication, we provide an overview of climate risks in Latin America and Caribbean countries, using the European Investment Bank's...

This paper estimates intergenerational mobility in education using data from 91 censuses in 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean spanning over half a century. It measures upward mobility as the likelihood that individuals will complete one educational stage more than their parents...

Since 1980, income levels in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have shown no convergence with those in the US, in stark contrast to emerging Asia and emerging Europe, which have seen rapid convergence. A key factor contributing to this divergence has been sluggish productivity growth in LAC....

Violent crime and insecurity remain major barriers to prosperity in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). With just 8 percent of the global population, LAC accounts for a third of the world's homicides. Building on the existing literature, this paper aims to support economic policymakers and...

After successfully weathering a series of shocks, most countries in the region are converging to their (tepid) potential. Growth is expected to moderate in late 2024 and 2025 while inflation is projected to continue easing, although gradually. With output and inflation gaps mostly closed but...

We provide a consistent empirical framework to estimate the net joint effect of emigration and remittances on the migrants' countries of origin key economic variables (GDP growth and labor force participation), while addressing the endogeneity concerns using novel "shift-share" instrumental...

Numerous studies have explored the role of technological innovation in the development of nations. However, these studies often focus predominantly on countries in the Global North, overlooking the interplay between government, industry and university - the Triple Helix helices, and...

In late 2021 and early 2022, CEMLA conducted a thorough survey involving 12 central banks to analyze key aspects related to the potential implementation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The findings revealed prevalent issues and objectives regarding digital payments in the region, as...

This paper estimates intergenerational mobility in education, using data from 91 censuses in 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean spanning over half a century. It measures upward mobility as the likelihood that individuals will complete one educational stage more than their parents...

This paper investigates the determinants of job losses due to the COVID-19 in the small island developing states of the Caribbean. Utilising a survey of 1979 firms in the Caribbean and a probit regression model, the study identifies the key factors that might lead a firm to retrench staff. Two...

Private actors have been actively working on standards that certify products and their production processes to minimize negative externalities. The number of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) has been increasing over the last few decades, raising interest in understanding their impact on...

This report explores the results of the latest round of PISA for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), showcasing the results for the region, the differences within the region and between the region and the rest of the world. For this round of PISA, 14 countries of LAC participated...

The Evolving Geography of Productivity and Employment: Ideas for Inclusive Growth through a Territorial Lens in Latin America and the Caribbean employs a territorial lens to understand the persistently low economic growth rates in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Using new data and...

This edition of the Macro Poverty Outlooks periodical contains country-by-country forecasts and overviews for GDP, fiscal, debt and poverty indicators for the developing countries of the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Macroeconomic indicators such as population, gross domestic product...