📈 12 Months = 12 Charts

By Gabriel Cohen DEC 24, 2024

1 min read

Line graph comparing homicide rates, showing El Salvador's dramatic decline to levels below the US | Sources: Homicide Monitor, Latinometrics

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Thank you for a great 2024. We’ve been Visualizing Latin America’s Potential for 3 years now. We’ll be taking a break (as should you, if you can) for the next two weeks, but in case you’re itching for some data stories, here are the charts that made the most noise on social media each month this year.

January 🔪

"It's tough to argue against mano-dura policies, given they mean thousands of fewer lives are taken by violence each year."

El Salvador Became Safer Than the US in 2023

February 🧑‍💻

"No matter what your work setup is, the shift towards more flexible arrangements reflects our collective craving for balance—blending productivity with the personal touch that only face-to-face interactions can provide."

Treemap comparing post-pandemic workplace policies across LatAm, showing diverse approaches to remote work | Sources: JLL, Latinometrics — Which Are the Most Remote- Friendly Countries in LatAm?

March 💳

"With range like this, it’s evident that there’s nothing if not opportunity in the region for nontraditional players to make a big splash in the banking industry."

Scatter plot comparing debit/credit card and financial account ownership, highlighting significant regional banking gaps | Sources: World Bank, Latinometrics

April 🎓

"USP - Universidade de São Paulo and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) are LatAm's best universities, with a level of academic excellence deserving of the sprawling metropolises that host them."

Scatter plot comparing university employability and citations, highlighting USP and UNAM as top regional leaders | Sources: QS, Latinometrics

May ₱

"In the past five years, the Mexican peso has appreciated the most out of the 20 main currencies in circulation, even beating the Swiss franc by a small margin."

Horizontal bar chart comparing currency appreciation, showing the Mexican peso outperformed all others | Sources: Google Finance, Latinometrics

June (notice something different?) 🛜

"Fiber optic has been installed throughout the country, providing reliable Internet access at roughly 200% the global average speed."

Horizontal bar chart comparing global internet speeds, showing Chile ranks among the world's fastest | Sources: Speedtest.net, Latinometrics

July 🇦🇷

"This year saw the first budget surplus in over 15 years, reflecting a concrete victory given the dangers of running long-term fiscal deficits."

Bar chart comparing Argentina's annual fiscal balance, showing the first budget surplus in over 15 years | Sources: MECON, Latinometrics

August 🇲🇽

"In 2015, less than 1% of Mexicans held an investor account; fast forward less than a decade and you see over 13%, reflecting a massive shift in just a few short years."

Treemap comparing Mexican investment vehicles, showing national debt dominates the portfolio over stocks | Sources: AMIB, Latinometrics

September 🍻

"Mexico's beer exports are on fire, reaching nearly $6B and counting in revenue last year, leaving historical European beer powerhouses entirely in the dust."

Line graph comparing beer export values, showing Mexico has become the world's leading exporter | Sources: UN Comtrade, Latinometrics

October 🛍️

"Try Mercado Libre (MELI), the e-commerce giant out of Argentina, which today has a market cap of over $100B."

Multi-panel line chart comparing e-commerce search interest, showing Mercado Libre dominates most Latin American markets | Sources: Google Trends, Latinometrics

November 🕊️

"Even Rio de Janeiro has an overblown reputation for danger, particularly as the carioca capital has made massive advancements since the 1990s and today sees a lower homicide rate than both Chicago and Philadelphia."

Horizontal bar chart comparing homicide rates across major American cities, highlighting Argentina and Canada as the safest | Sources: Homicide Monitor & local agencies, Latinometrics

December 🏦

"Banco de la Nación greatly protected itself against inflation in 2023 by holding US dollars."

Horizontal bar chart comparing bank return on assets, showing Banco de la Nación protected itself via USD | Sources: Banks' reports, Latinometrics

On behalf of everyone at Latinometrics, may you end 2024 with many blessings. Get some rest and start 2025 ready to Realize Latin America’s Potential.

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