Population living in slums in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Population living in slums was 18.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Population living in slums in Latin America & Caribbean, 2000–2022
Source: Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population living in slums in Latin America & Caribbean is 18.9%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population living in slums in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 31.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.8%, in 2016.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 21st out of 33 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Population living in slums in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 31.9% | — |
| 2002 | 30.2% | -5.2% |
| 2004 | 28.2% | -6.8% |
| 2006 | 26.2% | -6.9% |
| 2008 | 23.4% | -10.7% |
| 2010 | 21.8% | -6.9% |
| 2012 | 19.7% | -9.7% |
| 2014 | 19.0% | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 17.8% | -6.7% |
| 2022 | 18.9% | +6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 28.0% | 23.4% | 31.9% | 5 |
| 2010s | 19.6% | 17.8% | 21.8% | 4 |
| 2020s | 18.9% | 18.9% | 18.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 18 Liberia 60.5% compare
- 19 Guinea-Bissau 59.0% compare
- 20 Mauritania 58.6% compare
- 21 Myanmar 58.3% compare
- 22 Ecuador 57.8% compare
- 23 Pakistan 56.0% compare
- 24 Mozambique 55.0% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) 4.3% (2024)
- Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) 1.5% (2024)
- Poverty headcount ratio at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) 8.0% (2024)
- Poverty headcount ratio at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP) 24.7% (2024)
- Prosperity gap 3.1 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day (2024)
- Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) 2.8% (2024)
- Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line 25.5% (2024)
- Poverty gap at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP) 9.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population living in slums in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Population living in slums in Latin America & Caribbean was 18.9% in 2022, according to Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
- What is the highest population living in slums recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 31.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest population living in slums recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.8% in 2016.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for population living in slums?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 21st out of 33 groups with data for 2022.
- Is population living in slums rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), published as part of Population living in slums (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population living in slums is the proportion of the urban population living in slum households. A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, housing durability, and security of tenure, as adopted in the Millennium Development Goal Target 7.D. The successor, the Sustainable Development Goal 11.1.1, considers inadequate housing (housing affordability) to complement the above definition of slums/informal settlements.