4 February, 2025
This edition includes selected indicators of national population estimates and projections of the 38 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The report’s findings indicate that the dwindling growth of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean, mainly due to declining fertility, will take the region to its peak population levels by 2058, with a total of 767.5 million people. Another finding is that the region’s demographic transition process highlights two relevant phenomena: population aging and the end of the demographic bonus. The region as a whole is at a relatively advanced stage in terms of aging, and it is projected that by 2040, the 60-and-over population will surpass the under-15 population. While the drop in the dependency ratio will contribute to a demographic slack in the midterm (demographic bonus), the increase in the population aging ratio thereafter gives rise to enormous challenges for societies: it is estimated that the region’s dependency ratio began to decline between 1965 and 1970 , marking the beginning of the demographic bonus, and it is projected that between 2020 and 2025 the dependent population (under-15 and 65-and-older) will grow more than the working-age population (15 to 64), leading to an increase in the dependency ratio and the end of the demographic bonus in the region (which lasted for about 55 years).
To access the full report click here.
To review the details of the population estimates and projections in spreadsheet format, click here.
4 February, 2025
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