Richest South American Countries
Top Ten Latin America GNP & Population Statistics
Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil lead other South American nations in terms of average GNP per capita.
Here are the 10 richest South American countries and their corresponding annual GNP per capita based on global purchasing power parity (PPP) in international dollars.
GNP per capita, also referred to as Gross National Income, represents the total amount of money that a country's consumers spend on all goods and services in a year divided by that country's population.
Based on the Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook, the estimated population for 2006 is shown within brackets beside each country's name.
Richest South American Countries (GNP per capita)
- Argentina (pop. 39.9 million) ... $12,530
- Chile (pop. 16.1 million) ... $10,610
- Uruguay (pop. 3.4 million) ... $9,030
- Brazil (pop. 188.1 million) ... $7,940
- Colombia (pop. 43.6 million) ... $6,940
- Venezuela (pop. 25.7 million) ... $5,830
- Peru (pop. 28.3 million) ... $5,400
- Paraguay (pop. 6.5 million) ... $4,820
- Equador (pop. 13.5 million) ... $3,770
- Bolivia (pop. 9 million) ... $2,600
*based on 2004 PPP GNP per capita in international$
The average PPP GNP per capita for the top 10 South American countries is $6,947 per year. This amount is less than the per nation average of $9,548 per year for the richest 20 Asian nations and much less than the per nation average of $23,758 for the European Union.
And The Winners Are...
Argentina and Uruguay benefit from an export-oriented agricultural sector. Chile exports copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals and wine.
Large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors enable Brazil to expand its presence in international trade, winning recognition as an emerging BRIC nation.
Columbia's major trade partner is the United States, while Venezuela remains highly dependent on oil revenues which account for roughly 90% of export earnings.
A continent-wide free trade zone is planned for South America in 2007. Named the South American Community of Nations, the free trade zone will unite two existing free trade organizations:
- Mercosur - a regional trade agreement among Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela and Paraguay
- Andean Community - a trade bloc comprising Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
When dealing with other trading partners around the world, a unified trading block will enable South American countries to negotiate stronger deals in global trade.
Sources: World Bank Development Indicators for 2006 Table 1.1 - Size of the Economy and Table 1.6 - Key indicators for other economies, infoplease.org, CIA's The World Factbook
