☀ Domingo Brief — 2023 in Five Charts
A retrospective on our biggest year yet.
Welcome back to the Domingo Brief! In honor of today being the final day of 2023, we’re taking a special look back at some of our most popular charts this year.
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Mexico Overtakes China as Top Trade Partner
Unsurprisingly our most popular chart on LinkedIn, this look at North American trade trends came as Mexico supplanted China as the largest trading partner for the United States. Coming on the backs of a nearshoring boom powered by US-China tensions and post-COVID supply chain development, Mexico’s rise to the top has also been aided by last year’s Inflation Reduction Act in the US, which mobilized large-scale investment for clean energy jobs across North America.
Latin America is Home to 75% of the World’s Spanish Speakers
This was a fun one. With over half a billion speakers, Spanish is without a doubt a vital language which will only continue to grow in importance as Latin America develops. For a bit of history and context on the language (and why our original post annoyed so many in Iberia), check out Spain: The Trials & Triumphs of a Modern European Country (2023), written by former Latin America editor for The Economist Michael Reid.
Some LatAm Countries Are Greener Than You Think
We appreciate any story which highlights Paraguay, which as one of Latin America’s only two landlocked countries does not receive much love, and this one did precisely that. It’s worth noting that both of the hydroelectric dams we mentioned in this story have come into the news in recent months regarding tensions and discussions over output. And no surprise there: the Itaipu hydroelectric plant in particular broke its own daily energy production record just last month.
Nubank Just Became the 4th-Largest Bank in Brazil
From ending last year below Santander to topping Banco do Brasil by mid-2023, Brazil’s purple unicorn Nubank has been on an unstoppable rise in recent years, counting over 80M users in its main market of Brazil. It’s got its sights set next on surpassing giants such as Bradesco and Itaú—and it should give us a call if we can help with that.
In LatAm, Women Are Now More Educated Than Men
Rounding out our 5 charts to sum up 2023, this chart from the beginning of the year was featured by the World Economic Forum, among others, and demonstrates how much progress has been made on such a core issue over the last century.
We at Latinometrics hope you realize Latin America’s potential this year. Stay safe, happy holidays, and we’ll see you in 2024.