2018年，拉美地区的各项社会指标变化不大。贫困水平略有降低，但极端贫困人口达到2002年以来的峰值。收入分配状况虽然没有恶化，但持续改善的趋势已基本停滞。如果按照最近几年的发展态势，部分国家将无法按时完成联合国可持续发展议程中有关减贫和减少国家内部不平等的目标。大多数国家的失业水平变化较小，地区平均失业率与2017年持平。各国创造高质量就业机会的能力受制于不景气的经济形势，大量新增劳动力不得不自谋出路。虽然拉美地区的发展不尽如人意，但社会心态仍以积极乐观为主基调。中美洲和南美洲分别出现了“北上”“南下”两股大规模的移民潮，并成为国际社会的关注焦点。堕胎合法化议案在阿根廷未获议会通过，但引发广泛讨论，得到拉美各国声援。阿根廷乃至整个拉美地区的堕胎合法化运动不会因遭遇此次挫折而终结。
In 2018，the social indicators in Latin America did not change much. The level of poverty slightly decreased，but the indigent people reached their peak since 2002. Although the income distribution did not deteriorate，the trend of continuous improvement basically stagnated. According to the development in recent years，some countries will not be able to complete the goals of poverty reduction and improvement of internal inequality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on time. Unemployment level in most countries changed little，and the average regional unemployment rate remained the same as in 2017. The ability of governments to create high-quality jobs was constrained by the economy downturn，and a large number of new laborers had to find their own way out. Although the development of Latin America was not satisfactory，the social emotion was still positive and optimistic. In Central America and South America，there were two large-scale immigration surges which became the focus of attention of the international community. The legalization of abortion was not approved by the senate in Argentina，but it led to extensive discussions and Latin American countries’ solidarity. The legalization of abortion in Argentina and Latin America will not end with this setback.
