Jose Sanchez
Research expert covering society, economy, & politics for Latin America
Corruption in Latin America – statistics & facts
The disparity of wealth in Latin America and the Caribbean is among the largest in the world. In at least six countries, the richest twenty percent of the population held over half of the country's income. Corruption plays a significant role in perpetuating economic inequality across the region at both a geopolitical and local level. From everyday encounters with the police and civil servants to large-scale governmental scandals – with the Odebrecht laundromat case being one of the most infamous in the past years – corruption is considered one of the most pressing issues in Latin America by a wide share of the public and the press.
