LatAm Has Been More Urbanized Than Europe Since the 80s

New York City has often been called the world’s capital. But it’s actually not the biggest city in the Americas—in fact, it’s not even in the top 3.

Led by São Paulo, Lima, and Mexico City, Latin America’s cities are impressive…and they’ve only exploded in growth in the past century.

In 1900, only 1 in 5 Latin Americans lived in a city. Today, the ratio is switched, with 4 out of every 5 inhabitants living in an urban area. North America (excluding Mexico) is the only region worldwide that is more urbanized.

The explosion of urban living has its benefits: namely, increased access to jobs and services such as public transit. Economic development often mandates a certain amount of urbanization, and the region’s growth has accompanied citizens’ moves to the city.

But there are also challenges associated with rapid urbanization, like the one seen in Latin America since 1930. Urban overcrowding can lead to traffic nightmares, infrastructure gaps, and rising housing costs, particularly in primate cities such as Buenos Aires or Santiago. There can also be a growing divide between rural and urban portions of voters when it comes to national budget priorities, politics, or social values.

Latin America is dealing with this reality today, but its developing peers in Asia and Africa will soon face similar challenges. The world’s population became majority-urban in 2007, and policymakers will need to consider the growing city citizenry in their decisions.

Not to mention, city diplomacy and municipal leaders will only grow in importance within Latin America, removing some of the power held by national and federal governments.

In any case, there is a lot to celebrate with the urbanization success story. As the region attempts to develop into a more diverse and productive economy, these cities – ranging from Tijuana to Montevideo – will be driving the development.

After all, they are increasingly holding Latin America’s most valuable resource: its people.

This week’s opportunity:

Creditas recently opened 19 roles in São Paulo 🇧🇷, including a Data Visualization Specialist! (we love that job, for obvious reasons)

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