Updated Economic Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean 2012

This report updates the data and estimates set out in the Preliminary Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean 2012 (released in December 2012);, and it provides a summary analysis of economic trends on the basis of recent information. The revised statistics and analysis confirm the major trends identified in the Preliminary Overview and put GDP growth in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2012 at 3.0% (the Preliminary Overview projection was 3.1%);. In the following pages, figures and information for the entire year are used to assess the region's external context, main monetary, exchange-rate and fiscal policies and performance in terms of GDP growth, employment, inflation and wages. The report concludes with an updated account of the external environment and growth projections for the region in 2013 and an estimate that the region's GDP will expand by 3.5%.