Inequality is a historical and structural characteristic of Latin American and Caribbean societies that has been maintained and perpetuated even in times of growth and economic prosperity. It is a multifaceted phenomenon characterized by a complex web of intersecting socioeconomic inequalities, which are compounded by a succession of gender, ethno-racial, territorial and age inequalities throughout a person’s life cycle. The inequalities and well-being gaps experienced by Latin America’s Afrodescendent population, which currently numbers 134 million people (or 21% of its total population), are undoubtedly one of the axes that structure the social inequality matrix and a key element of the culture of privilege —a historical feature of Latin American societies, which originated in its colonial and slave-owning past but has been perpetuated to the present day by values, practices and institutions.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have put forward a study on Afrodescendants and the matrix of social inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean,1 of which this is a summary, as part of a continuing commitment to provide up-to-date information and knowledge about the situation of the Afrodescendent population, prepare policy recommendations for States, build national capacity and promote experience-sharing in order to make progress in recognizing and guaranteeing the rights of the Afrodescendent population, in response to a request by the Government of Costa Rica. The objective of this study is to provide the most up-to-date picture possible of the inequalities experienced by Latin America’s Afrodescendent population in key areas of development and rights, including the incidence of poverty and access to basic infrastructure, education, health, decent work and social protection. In all these areas, the study focuses specifically on the situation of Afrodescendent women, children, adolescents and young people. It also examines such issues as: the regulatory framework for combating racism and promoting racial equality, including the Afrodescendent population’s right to its ancestral lands; the importance of the Afrodescendent movement and organizations: the demographic context and the statistical visibility of the Afrodescendent population; the various forms of violence against it; the links between racism and migration; and the current institutional framework in the region for guaranteeing Afrodescendants’ rights and promoting their equality, together with some policy measures that have been implemented to achieve this.