COVID-19 vaccination rate in Latin America & the Caribbean 2023, by country

By March 2023, Cuba had administered the largest number of vaccines against COVID-19 per 100 inhabitants in the Latin American region, followed by Chile and Uruguay. According to recent estimates, the Caribbean country applied around 390.44 doses per 100 population, accounting for one of the largest vaccination rates observed not only in the Latin American region, but worldwide. In comparison, Haiti registered the lowest vaccination rate within the region, with only 4.45 doses administered per 100 inhabitants.

Booster shots started

To reinforce the immune protection against the fast spread of the SARS-CoV-2, governments began to introduce booster shots in their immunization programs aiming to strengthen people’s immune response against new contagious COVID-19 variants. In Latin America, Uruguay was leading on booster shots relative to its population among a selection of countries, with about 80 percent of the population receiving the extra dose. In comparison, this numbers are higher than the EU and the US, which administered the booster to around 56 percent and 32 percent of its inhabitants, respectively.

Pharmaceutical research continues

As Omicron becomes more prominent worldwide, and recombinant variants emerge, research efforts to prevent and control the disease continue to progress. As of June 2022, there were around 2,700 clinical trials to treat COVID-19 and 1,752 COVID-19 vaccines trials in clinical development. Other studies were focused on mild, moderate and severe COVID-19, complication support, and post-COVID symptoms, among others.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.