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Latin America and the Caribbean

Countries (and areas) in the region

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Land

  • Total area: --- 
  • Land area: 20,039,364 km2 (2017) 
  • Land use by sector: 38% agriculture, 46% forest and 16% other (2016)

People

  • Total population: 644,137,666 people (2017)
  • Population density: 32 people per km2 (2017)
  • Urbanisation: 80 % lives in urban areas and 20 % lives in rural areas (2017)

Economy

  • Total GDP: 9,372,518,640,456 USD per year (2017)
  • GDP per capita: 14,550 USD per year (2017)
  • Value added by sector: 5% from agriculture, 61% from services and 24% from industry (2017)
The above data are estimates based on the latest available data for all countries (and areas) in the region. The estimates are not adjusted for potentially missing or outdated country (and area) data.
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SDG 6 snapshot Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Drinking water

    75 % of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean uses a safely managed drinking water service (SDG indicator 6.1.1, 2022)
  • Sanitation

    49 % of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean uses a safely managed sanitation service (SDG indicator 6.2.1a, 2022)
  • Hygiene

    --- % of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean has a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home (SDG indicator 6.2.1b, 2022)
  • Wastewater

    46 % of domestic wastewater in Latin America and the Caribbean is safely treated (SDG indicator 6.3.1, 2022)
  • Water quality

    57 % of monitored water bodies in Latin America and the Caribbean has good ambient water quality (SDG indicator 6.3.2, 2023)
  • Efficiency

    13 $/m<sup>3</sup> is the value added from the use of water by people and the economy in Latin America and the Caribbean (SDG indicator 6.4.1, 2021)
  • Water stress

    6 % of the renewable water resources in Latin America and the Caribbean is being withdrawn, after taking into account environmental flow requirements (SDG indicator 6.4.2, 2021)
  • Water management

    39 % is the degree of implementation of integrated water resources management in Latin America and the Caribbean (SDG indicator 6.5.1, 2023) 
  • Transboundary

    --- % of transboundary basin area has an operational arrangement for water cooperation (SDG indicator 6.5.2, 2023)
  • Ecosystems

    24 % of the water basins in Latin America and the Caribbean is experiencing rapid changes in the area covered by surface waters (SDG 6 indicator 6.6.1, 2020)
  • Cooperation

    821 m$ is the amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance received by Latin America and the Caribbean in 2022 (SDG indicator 6.a.1)
  • Participation

    + is the average number of sub-sectors (out of 6) with a high level of participation by communities in Latin America and the Caribbean (SDG indicator 6.b.1, 2021)

Drinking water

6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services in Latin America and the Caribbean, progress over time

6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services in Latin America and the Caribbean, by service level and location (2022)

Sanitation and hygiene

6.2.1a Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services in Latin America and the Caribbean, progress over time

6.2.1a Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services in Latin America and the Caribbean, by service level and location (2022)

6.2.1b Proportion of population with a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home in Latin America and the Caribbean, by service level and location (2022)

Water quality and wastewater

6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated  > Domestic in Latin America and the Caribbean (2023)

6.3.2 Level 1 Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality in Latin America and the Caribbean (2023)

Water use and scarcity

Water resources and withdrawal in Latin America and the Caribbean, total and per capita

Renewable water resources, regional average: 29,546 m3 per capita (2020)
Water withdrawal, regional average: 574 m3 per capita (2020)
Renewable water resources, water withdrawal and environmental flow requirements for all reporting countries (and areas) in the region ( - 2020):    

6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources in Latin America and the Caribbean, change over time

6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time in Latin America and the Caribbean, progress over time

Water-use efficiency and its components, by sector, for all reporting countries (and areas) in Latin America and the Caribbean (2021)

Water-use efficiency for ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ only takes into account the proportion of gross value added that comes from irrigated agriculture, since that activity is associated with water withdrawal (other activities are rain-fed).

Water resources management

6.5.1 Degree of integrated water resources management implementation (0-100) in Latin America and the Caribbean, progress over time, by dimension

Degree of IWRM implementation (0-100): Very low (0-10) – Low (11-30) – Medium-low (31-50) – Medium-high (51-70) – High (71-90) – Very high (91-100)

6.5.2 Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean, progress over time, by component

Very low (0-10) – Low (11-30) – Medium-low (31-50) – Medium-high (51-70) – High (71-90) – Very high (91-100)

International cooperation and capacity-building

6.a.1 Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance received by Latin America and the Caribbean, by country (and area) and over time

Annual expenditure for drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in Latin America and the Caribbean, per capita and by funding source

Community participation

6.b.1 Number of countries (or areas) with clearly defined Procedures in law or policy for participation by users/communities and with a high Level of participation by users/communities in Latin America and the Caribbean (2017-2021)

6.b.1 Procedures in law or policy for participation by users/communities in countries (and areas) in Latin America and the Caribbean (2019-2021)

6.b.1 Level of participation by users/communities in countries (and areas) in Latin America and the Caribbean ()