Health at a Glance : Latin America and the Caribbean 2026

Overview & Synopsis

Latin America and the Caribbean has made important progress in expanding health coverage and improving population health over recent decades. The region now faces a more demanding phase: turning coverage into care that is effective, high-quality, equitable and financially sustainable. Countries across the region are confronting a more complex health landscape, shaped by non-communicable diseases, population ageing, persistent infectious threats, and environmental and climate-related risks. These pressures are hitting health systems still constrained by low spending, high out-of-pocket payments, fragmented coverage, workforce shortages, and uneven infrastructure and digital capacity. Countries need to spend more, but also spend better: improving quality and equity while preserving affordability and long-term sustainability. These challenges are not felt equally. Inequalities in income, geography, education, ethnicity and other social determinants continue to shape who becomes ill, who receives timely and good-quality care, and who faces financial hardship when seeking treatment. This publication shows that national averages often hide large gaps in risks, access, quality, financial protection and outcomes. Making these gaps visible is a necessary step towards making them actionable.