Percentage of children as a proportion of total population in Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin America and the Caribbean: Percentage of children as a proportion of total population was 26.91 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
26.91
Change on year
down 1.5%
Rank
4th
of 14 groups
All-time high
49.77
in 1966
All-time low
26.91
in 2025
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Percentage of children as a proportion of total population in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1950–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2025, percentage of children as a proportion of total population in Latin America and the Caribbean stood at 26.91. That is the lowest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children as a proportion of total population in Latin America and the Caribbean peaked at 49.77 in 1966 and was at its lowest, 26.91, in 2025.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 76 years of available data.
Percentage of children as a proportion of total population in Latin America and the Caribbean, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 47.33 | — |
| 1951 | 47.45 | +0.3% |
| 1952 | 47.6 | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 47.77 | +0.4% |
| 1954 | 47.96 | +0.4% |
| 1955 | 48.16 | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 48.36 | +0.4% |
| 1957 | 48.55 | +0.4% |
| 1958 | 48.76 | +0.4% |
| 1959 | 48.95 | +0.4% |
| 1960 | 49.13 | +0.4% |
| 1961 | 49.3 | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 49.45 | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 49.59 | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 49.7 | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 49.77 | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 49.77 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 49.72 | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 49.62 | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 49.51 | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 49.36 | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 49.19 | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 48.99 | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 48.77 | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 48.53 | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 48.27 | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 47.98 | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 47.69 | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 47.37 | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 47.05 | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 46.7 | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 46.31 | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 45.89 | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 45.48 | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 45.08 | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 44.7 | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 44.33 | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 43.96 | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 43.6 | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 43.24 | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 42.84 | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 42.44 | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 42.02 | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 41.6 | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 41.17 | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 40.74 | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 40.3 | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 39.85 | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 39.39 | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 38.92 | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 38.43 | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 37.92 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 37.41 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 36.89 | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 36.37 | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 35.86 | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 35.34 | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 34.83 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 34.32 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 33.81 | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 33.32 | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 32.85 | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 32.38 | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 31.92 | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 31.47 | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 31.04 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 30.6 | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 30.16 | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 29.73 | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 29.31 | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 28.9 | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 28.53 | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 28.14 | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 27.73 | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 27.31 | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 26.91 | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 48.09 | 47.33 | 48.95 | 10 |
| 1960s | 49.56 | 49.13 | 49.77 | 10 |
| 1970s | 48.32 | 47.05 | 49.36 | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.93 | 43.24 | 46.7 | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.93 | 38.92 | 42.84 | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.12 | 33.81 | 38.43 | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.28 | 29.31 | 33.32 | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.92 | 26.91 | 28.9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America and the Caribbean
More health data for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Neonatal deaths (UN IGME estimate, 2024), annual growth rate -4.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Under-five deaths (UN IGME estimate, 2024), annual growth rate -3.14 % change on previous year (2024)
- Infant deaths (UN IGME estimate, 2024), annual growth rate -2.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Under-five deaths 142,579 (2024)
- Neonatal deaths 77,054 (2024)
- Under-five mortality rate 15.35 (2024)
- Neonatal mortality rate 8.31 (2024)
- Mortality rate 1-59 months 7.1 (2024)
- Infant mortality rate 13.29 (2024)
- Mortality rate age 1-11 months 5.02 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children as a proportion of total population in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- Percentage of children as a proportion of total population in Latin America and the Caribbean was 26.91 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest percentage of children as a proportion of total population recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 49.77 in 1966.
- What is the lowest percentage of children as a proportion of total population recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.91 in 2025.
- How does Latin America and the Caribbean rank for percentage of children as a proportion of total population?
- Latin America and the Caribbean ranks 4th out of 14 groups with data for 2025.
- Is percentage of children as a proportion of total population rising or falling in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America and the Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Percentage of children as a proportion of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).