12 Most Populated Countries in South America

In This Article:

In this article, we will look at the 12 most populated countries in South America. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Most Populated Countries in South America

South America is the southern portion of the Americas. It ranks among the most peaceful continents in the world, as it has experienced no armed conflict since the dawn of the 21st century. The continent touches the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Atlantic Ocean in the east and north, and the Caribbean Sea to the northwest.

Population Trends in South America 

According to estimations made by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division, South America had a population of more than 434 million in 2021. This number is lower than the population of certain individual countries, namely India and China, which have a higher population than the entire South American region. The region has an area of 17,840,000 sq. kilometers, which is 6,890,000 sq. miles. That makes it the fourth largest continent in the world in terms of area, right after Asia, Africa, and North America. When viewed in terms of population, South America is the fifth most populated continent in the world after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. The latest statistics by the United Nations Population Division reveal that South America's population comes up to 5.47% of the total world population.

According to data by the World Bank, Latin America and the Caribbean had a 0.7% annual growth rate in 2022. This rate has been decreasing since 2014, going from 1.1% in 2014 to 1% in 2015 and 0.9% in 2018. South America has only 12 sovereign countries, notably less as compared to other continents. Brazil alone takes over more than half of the region's area, which also makes it the most populated country in the region. According to a study by Luis L Schenoni, Brazil's control over South America's material power has increased from one-third to one-half since the end of the 20th century. Despite that, around 44,000 Brazilians were internally displaced in 2022 because of disasters. This number was the highest in the region, standing next to Colombia's 41,000 internally displaced individuals by the end of 2022.   

Another report by the Population Reference Bureau showed that 68% of South America's population stood between the 15-64 age group, with 22% of the population below the 15-year limit. People aged 65 or older made 10% of the population in mid-2023. The highest fertility rate in the region was reported in Bolivia, with 2.5 lifetime births per woman. On the other hand, South American countries with the lowest fertility rates were Chile and Uruguay, with 1.2 and 1.5 lifetime births per woman, respectively.