Distributional structures and incomes by decile in four Latin American economies (2019-2022)

Abstract

This study seeks to determine the factor and personal income distribution structures by decile between 2019 and 2022. It finds that during the covid-19 pandemic, the share of wages in GDP decreased in all economies except Mexico, where it increased. In analyzing the different components of value added by production sector, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru show different behaviors that reflected various peculiarities beyond an apparent common history. Both the levels and the evolution of the distribution by decile are different among the economies and the years analyzed. The average income of the highest-income decile is similar to that of the world’s wealthiest economies. In contrast, in the lowest decile, they coexist with citizens living at African levels.