Executive summary

The health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has also produced the worst economic and social upheaval in recent decades around the world and in the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean. At the time of writing, several countries of the region have become the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic and the region’s GDP growth rate is expected to drop by 9.1%, while steep rises are forecast in the poverty rate, which will reach 37.3%, in the unemployment rate, to around 13.5%, and in inequality (ECLAC, 2020b).

Sustainable Development Goals:

Good Health and Well-Being

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure