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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

December 23, 2025

What Lies Ahead for the Economies of Latin America?

The World Bank expects overall economic growth of 2.5 percent for Latin America in 2026. São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in the region’s largest economy, is pictured. // File Photo: Erich Sacco via Adobe Stock.

Q

  • Major economic pressures over the past year in Latin America and the Caribbean have included uncertainty due to U.S. tariffs, stubborn levels of inflation and high levels of debt. The World Bank said in October that it expects overall regional economic growth of 2.5 percent in 2026, slightly higher than this year’s estimate of 2.3 percent. What does 2026 have in store for economic growth and development in Latin America and the Caribbean, and which countries’ economies will perform best—and worst? Which business sectors in the region will have the strongest performance next year, and which will struggle? How well will policymakers in the region be able to contain inflation?

A

Ernesto Revilla, member of the Advisor board and managing director and head of Latin America economics at Citigroup: “Latin America enters 2026 with surprising resilience, driven by macro tailwinds and a favorable political cycle, positioning it well against potential external volatility. The surprise is, in fact, how well Latin America has performed considering extraordinary geopolitical and trade reconfiguration. GDP growth in 2026 is projected to be…”

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ABOUT THE LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.
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Gene Kuleta
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board of advisors

Diego Arria
Director,
Columbus Group

Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg

Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
DevryBV Sustainable Strategies

Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan

Marlene Fernández
Corporate Vice President for Gov’t Relations,
Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s)

Peter Hakim
President Emeritus,
Inter-American Dialogue

Donna Hrinak
Director,
Adtalem Global Education

Jon E. Huenemann
Council Member,
GLG Inc.

James R. Jones
Chairman,
Monarch Global Strategies

Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
Professor of Political Economy,
Georgetown University

John Maisto
Director,
US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos

Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates

Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting

Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA

Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados

Shelly Shetty
Managing Director,
Sovereigns, Fitch

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