Mortality rates in Latin America have come down in the past 50 years, essentially because of improvements in the field of health. Greater control of infectious, parasitic and respiratory diseases, immunization programmes and maternal education have had a direct impact in reducing infant mortality, albeit with large differences from one country to another, and between high-income groups and those who are poorer, revealing profound inequalities. The causes of death in the region have changed, shifting to adult ages and centring on chronic and degenerative diseases, alongside violence and accidents.