A new global report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) continue to experience the highest levels of inequality worldwide—a disparity that the COVID-19 pandemic has only deepened.
According to the WHO’s World Report on Social Determinants of Health Equity, the region’s entrenched inequities have severely impacted health outcomes, particularly for marginalized communities. In 2020 alone, the LAC economy shrank by 7 percent—the steepest drop in 120 years—leaving millions without income or access to social protections. These economic shocks have translated directly into increased preventable illness and death.
The report links this health crisis to deteriorating conditions of employment—especially in a region where over 60 percent of workers are in the informal sector—as well as to poor housing and complex migratory dynamics. The WHO also points to the enduring effects of colonialism and structural racism, which continue to shape disparities in life expectancy, particularly for Indigenous and Afro-descendant populations.
“Our world is an unequal one,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Where we are born, grow, live, work, and age significantly influences our health and well-being.”
One startling finding of the report is that a person born in a country with the lowest life expectancy could live, on average, 33 years less than someone born in the country with the highest life expectancy. Social factors—such as income, education, housing, and exposure to discrimination—have a more profound impact on health than genetics or access to healthcare, the WHO emphasized.
Despite the grim statistics, the report also highlights hope. Cities in the Latin America and Caribbean region that have implemented participatory budgeting for housing, green spaces, and transportation have seen improvements not just in public health, but also in social cohesion. These examples, the WHO says, offer a roadmap for policymakers to address the underlying causes of poor health through inclusive urban planning and equity-focused reforms.
The WHO calls for urgent, multi-sectoral action to tackle the root social determinants of health—insisting that equitable progress is possible through deliberate investment in education, decent work, housing, and policies that dismantle structural discrimination.
“The evidence is clear,” the report states. “Without addressing the conditions that people live in, there can be no true path to better health.”
