ABSTRACT
In the past decade, the economy of Latin America has grown at a faster rate than the world average; per capita GDP grew by 23 per cent and the region’s export capacity increased. The international financial and economic crisis has had less impact here than in other regions of the world. These economic results, along with redistributive policies in several countries, have led to a relative decline in poverty in the region. However, major economic and social inequalities still exist: there are 180 million people living in poverty and 72 million in extreme poverty – that is, 33 per cent and 13 per cent of the total population, respectively.1
