South America

12 countries in World Bank data. The continent figure is the median of its countries - the World Bank does not publish continental totals, and its own regions do not match continents.

Click a country to see its numbers.

Map of South America

 

Boundaries: Natural Earth, simplified · sources and licences

Countries

latest available value
Argentina45.9 mn14,89877.51.507.14.01
Bolivia12.6 mn5,14868.72.523.02.29
Brazil212.8 mn10,71376.01.616.02.32
Chile19.9 mn17,99581.41.149.03.94
Colombia53.4 mn8,56277.91.638.31.80
Ecuador18.3 mn7,12577.61.813.32.64
Guyana835,98632,41470.32.4012.04.56
Paraguay7 mn7,02774.02.424.81.16
Peru34.6 mn9,68477.91.975.12.02
Suriname639,8507,07073.82.237.84.06
Uruguay3.4 mn25,21678.31.407.52.57
Venezuela28.5 mn3,49572.72.085.33.39
Sources: World Bank, UN agencies and others Sources and licences

South America compared with the world

median country vs world
Indicator Year South America median World
Population
Population 2025 19.1 mn 8.2 bn
Population density · /km² 2023 22.3 62.1
Population growth · % 2025 0.72 0.91
Life expectancy at birth · years 2024 76.8 73.5
Fertility rate 2024 1.89 2.19
Birth rate · ‰ 2024 15.0 16.3
Infant mortality · ‰ 2024 11.7 27.7
Urban population · % 2025 82.2 57.8
Population aged 65 and over · % 2025 9.7 10.4
Population living in cities (Degree of Urbanisation) · % 2025 54.9 44.8
Population living in towns and semi-dense areas (Degree of Urbanisation) · % 2025 24.5 35.6
Population living in rural areas (Degree of Urbanisation) · % 2025 20.9 19.6
Human development
Human Development Index (HDI) 2023 0.782 0.756
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) 2023 0.619 0.590
Planetary pressures-adjusted Human Development Index (PHDI) 2023 0.738 0.680
Gender Inequality Index (GII) 2023 0.391 0.455
Economy
Gross domestic product · US$ 2025 115 bn 118.4 tn
GDP per capita · US$ 2025 9,123 14,406
GDP per capita, purchasing power parity · int. $ 2025 22,652 25,704
GNI per capita (Atlas method) · US$ 2025 8,165 14,244
Real GDP growth · % 2025 2.6 2.9
Inflation, consumer prices · % 2025 4.4 3.0
Trade (exports plus imports) · % 2025 49.7 68.5
Exports of goods and services · % 2025 27.1 29.5
Foreign direct investment, net inflows · % 2024 2.4 1.4
Manufacturing, value added · % 2025 10.9 14.9
Agriculture, forestry and fishing, value added · % 2025 7.1 4.0
Tax revenue · % 2024 15.3 13.8
Central government debt · % 2019 61.4 -
Military expenditure · % 2024 1.2 2.5
Labour
Unemployment rate (modelled ILO estimate) · % 2025 6.6 4.8
Youth unemployment rate (modelled ILO estimate) · % 2025 15.8 13.4
Female labour force participation · % 2025 52.7 48.9
Employment in agriculture (modelled ILO estimate) · % 2025 10.5 25.8
Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person · h 2025 38.0 40.9
Youth not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15-24 · % 2025 18.9 20.0
Labour income share of GDP · % 2024 50.4 52.5
Output per hour worked (GDP, constant 2021 international $ at PPP) · $ 2025 19.7 23.3
Health
Current health expenditure · % 2023 7.9 10.1
Current health expenditure per capita · US$ 2023 518 1,317
Physicians · /1,000 2022 3.89 1.86
Under-5 mortality · ‰ 2024 13.6 37.4
Maternal mortality ratio (modelled estimate) · /100k 2023 59 197
Current tobacco use among adults · % 2024 12.1 20.3
People using safely managed drinking water · % 2024 68.5 73.7
Food
Dietary energy supply per person · kcal 2023 3,067 3,017
Average protein supply per person (3-year average) · g 2022 86.1 92.5
Average supply of protein of animal origin per person (3-year average) · g 2022 45.1 38.7
Average fat supply per person (3-year average) · g 2022 95.1 89.7
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity (3-year average) · % 2024 26.9 26.8
Prevalence of severe food insecurity (3-year average) · % 2024 4.9 9.8
Cereal import dependency ratio (3-year average) · % 2022 3.4 -0.9
Education
Adult literacy rate · % 2024 94.9 87.7
School enrolment, secondary (gross) · % 2024 97.8 77.3
School enrolment, tertiary (gross) · % 2023 73.9 43.2
Government expenditure on education · % 2023 4.2 3.6
Expected years of schooling · yrs 2023 14.9 13.0
Mean years of schooling (adults 25+) · yrs 2023 9.4 8.8
Society
Gini index of income inequality 2018 44.0 -
Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) · % 2018 4.7 11.1
Individuals using the internet · % 2024 82.0 71.2
Mobile cellular subscriptions · /100 2024 128.6 110.4
Access to electricity · % 2024 99.0 91.9
Seats held by women in national parliaments · % 2025 32.8 27.2
Refugees
Refugees hosted (under UNHCR mandate, by country of asylum) 2025 3,908 28.5 mn
Refugees hosted per 1,000 inhabitants · ‰ 2025 0.2 3.5
Asylum-seekers hosted (pending cases, by country of asylum) 2025 6,256 9 mn
Refugees originating from the country (under UNHCR mandate) 2025 3,034 28.5 mn
Refugees originating from the country per 1,000 inhabitants · ‰ 2025 0.2 3.5
Governance
Control of corruption · /100 2024 39.9 -
Government effectiveness · /100 2024 47.3 -
Rule of law · /100 2024 48.8 -
Regulatory quality · /100 2024 50.7 -
Voice and accountability · /100 2024 57.6 -
Political stability and absence of violence · /100 2024 60.0 -
Environment
CO₂ emissions per capita (excluding land use) · t 2024 2.61 4.69
Fossil CO₂ emissions (fossil fuels and cement) · Mt 2024 58.1 38,598.6
Share of global fossil CO₂ emissions · % 2024 0.15 100.00
Cumulative fossil CO₂ emissions since 1750 · Gt 2024 1.8 1,849.1
Total greenhouse gas emissions per capita (excluding land use) · t 2024 5.93 6.36
Renewable energy consumption · % 2021 27.0 -
Forest area · % 2023 50.9 31.1
PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure · µg/m³ 2023 17.7 32.9
Level of water stress (freshwater withdrawal of available resources) · % 2022 4.4 -
Land area · km² 2023 812,441 129.8 mn
Energy
Share of renewables in electricity generation · % 2024 65.7 31.6
Share of wind and solar in electricity generation · % 2024 4.6 15.0
Share of nuclear in electricity generation · % 2024 0.0 9.0
Share of low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear) in electricity generation · % 2024 65.7 40.6
Share of fossil fuels in electricity generation · % 2024 34.3 59.4
Share of coal in electricity generation · % 2024 0.0 34.4
Carbon intensity of electricity generation · g/kWh 2024 260 474
Electricity demand per capita · MWh 2024 2.78 3.81

The median is the middle country: half of the countries of South America are above it, half below. Unlike an average it is not pulled by one very large or very rich country. For totals (population, GDP) the world column is the world total, not comparable with the median.