During the past 110 years, health in the Americas has improved significantly, but inequalities persist, says the 2012 Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) report Health in the Americas.
Average life expectancy in Latin America and the Caribbean, rose from 29 years in 1900 to 74 years in 2010, and today, 98 per cent of children live to see their first birthday, while 100 years ago only 75 per cent did.
The report was presented at the 28th Pan American Sanitary Conference in Washington, D.C. last week, in which it describes the progress made by the countries of the Americas and the challenges they face as they work to improve in the Region.
However, differences among countries of the Region persist. These differences are also seen within countries.
Major demographic trends in the Region of the Americas include population growth, urbanization, and population aging. In 1900 the population of the Americas was 194 million people; 110 years later, it has risen to over 940 million. It is estimated that by 2020 it will rise to slightly more than one billion inhabitants, representing 13.4 per cent of the global population.