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...

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...

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...

The green transition represents one of the most significant transformational forces in the labor market in the coming years. This paper analyzes the incidence of green jobs in four Latin American countries using information from job vacancy data. The results reveal a low incidence of demand for...

Latin America and the Caribbean has lost not decades but a century of growth due to its inability to learn-to identify, adapt, and implement the new technologies emerging since the Second Industrial Revolution. Superstars like Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay fell behind peers like France and...

This survey examines the economic performance of economies of the Caribbean in 2022 and the first few months of 2023 and comprises five chapters. The first chapter gives an overview of global, regional and subregional economic performance in the Caribbean. The second provides an analysis of the...

This study develops a multidimensional classification of Latin American and Caribbean countries based on a multidimensional set of economic, social, technological, and environmental indicators. This study develops a multidimensional assessment of the performance of Latin American and Caribbean...

This document analyzes the indirect costs of mental health for adolescents and young adults in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region and its potential impact in lowering human capital in the region. It uses a broad definition of mental health conditions (MHC), classified into four...

After providing a general overview of the nature, pros, and cons of crypto assets and CBDCs, this paper focuses on documenting their recent experience in LAC. The region records a high interest in unbacked crypto assets and stablecoins and its authorities' policy responses have varied...

This paper investigates the impact of public-private partnership (PPP)-enabling conditions on infrastructure development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Using a unique longitudinal dataset, this study analyzes how institutional conditions in 26 LAC countries influenced PPP investment...

The adoption of electronic payments has increased globally, driving economic growth by enabling smoother transactions. Digital payments enhance speed, security, trust, and efficiency, prompting governments to implement policies that promote financial inclusion through new payment technologies....

The Caribbean region faces a growing youth employment challenge, as outdated infrastructure and limited digital skills continue to constrain economic opportunities and resilience. For much of the last decade, dependence on legacy copper networks led to high prices, low bandwidth, and widespread...

Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) is set to potentially transform the labor market, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Studies about its possible impacts have generally focused on high-income countries. But AI may be a crucial path to greater productivity in emerging markets...

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 Latin America and the Caribbean. Macroeconomic indicators such as population, gross domestic product and gross...

This report estimates fuel-specific TCPs for 11 LAC countries-Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominica, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, and Uruguay-from 2017 to 2023, and a preliminary estimate for 2024 is also constructed. TCPs in this report are built using a detailed bottom-up...

The following report presents the results of analyzing 30 city-level Climate Action Plans (CAPs) from Latin America and the Caribbean region. The report is structured into two main sections. This first section presents the city context and summary of CAP evaluation for each city. The second...

This Selected Issues paper examines the impact of the energy transition (ET) and strategies to achieve it in the Easter Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). Reducing energy dependence in the ECCU entails improving energy efficiency and shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy (RE). This ET is...

This paper presents a detailed review report for the 2025 Discussion on Common Policies of Member Countries of the Easter Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). The currency union has provided a strong anchor for macroeconomic stability. The ECCU has achieved a strong rebound from successive adverse...

ECCU countries are highly vulnerable to recurring and increasingly severe natural disasters. Evidence suggests that severe natural disaster have negative impacts on fiscal balances and debt in the region. This underscores the need for comprehensive disaster resilience strategies to mitigate...

This study explores the short-term welfare and distributive effects of selected fuel tax and subsidy reforms in six countries in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region that are aimed at promoting the transformation of energy systems and have the potential to generate much-needed fiscal...

Despite its negative effects, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The rapid increase in connectivity and digital services helped mitigate the pandemic's negative impact on the labor markets, especially for those with enough flexibility to...

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

"Rethinking Taxation for Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean: Objectives, Behavioral Responses, and Technological Advances" argues for a shift beyond the traditional focus on collection efficiency and equity to explicitly include economic growth as a primary objective. It highlights how...

This publication provides you with a range of inspiring examples of how educational institutions are using Erasmus+ in Latin America and the Caribbean as a key instrument for building knowledge, skills and attitudes on one of the main overarching priorities of Erasmus+, namely the environment...

Plantation elites continued to dominate local colonial governments in the British West Indies even after the abolition of slavery in 1834, directing public spending towards maintaining public order and protecting their property. As such they resisted any reforms that threatened their power,...