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Which Latin American countries are the most socially inclusive?

Americas Quarterly created a new 'social inclusion index' to compare countries across the region and track their progress over time. Here are the three top countries, two poorest-ranking countries, and one whose ranking may come as a surprise.

Third overall: Brazil

Nacho Doce/Reuters
A woman and a boy listen to music in a camp erected by an estimated 8,000 members of Brazil's Roofless Workers Movement, who last month occupied a 111 acres plot to demand from the government ownership of the land, in Embu da Artes, Brazil on April 7.

  • By Sara Miller Llana Staff writer

Brazil ranks third for overall social inclusion, with a score of 51.4. But Mr. Sabatini urges readers to note the big jump between Chile and Uruguay (at above 70) and third-place Brazil, ranked as third with just over 50 points. Brazil has been all the rage over the past five years: a country where investors want to go and that other regional leaders want to emulate. And it has made notable strides, particularly on poverty reduction (read more about Brazil as an “anti-poverty showcase” here).

Brazil takes the lead when it comes to the percent of GDP spent on social programs, too. But it still has remarkable "catch up" to do, says Sabatini.

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