(4 February 2010) The economy of Latin America and the Caribbean grew an average 4% between 1950-2009, while the population increased 2.1% annually during the same period, according to data collected in ECLAC's Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2009, now available online.
According to data from the yearbook, over the past 60 years, the proportion of the elderly population in the region has more than doubled, while that of children has dropped by 13%.
Regarding environmental issues, the yearbook tracks the evolution of the energy intensity of GDP; that is, the amount of energy (measured in thousands of barrels of oil equivalent) needed to generate a million dollars of GDP.
Between 1970 and 2008, the energy needed to produce GDP dropped from a ratio of 1.59 to 1.44, reflecting very little energy savings throughout almost 40 years.
These are some examples of the data contained in the statistical yearbook, one of the main sources of statistical information in the region that gathers social, economic and environmental data from Latin American and the Caribbean nations.
This edition of the Statistical Yearbook, which has renovated part of its content, is organized in four chapters:
- Demographic and social aspects, with special emphasis on gender
- Economic statistics, such as prices, international trade, balance of payments and national accounts.
- Information on the environment and natural resources
- Methodological aspects related to the origin of the data, their definition and coverage
The complete document may be downloaded in PDF format. The statistical graphs are in Excel.
The Statistical Yearbook of Latin America and the Caribbean 2009 is available in the ECLAC website.
For more information, contact ECLAC's Information Services. Email: dpisantiago@cepal.org; telephones: (56-2) 210-2149.