Deutsche Welle (DW) published this Friday, April 19, on Instagram a video describing: Do Latin American presidents earn a lot or a little?
It also shows that “the enormous salary divergence that separates Latin American leaders draws attention.”
In the video, DW highlights how experts on the subject explain the factors that must be taken into account when making comparisons.
He explains that a relevant point when it comes to understanding the income disparity of presidents in Latin America is to compare the president’s salary with the minimum wage adjusted for the corresponding country.
According to DW, this ranking is led by the president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, who according to the data shared in the video, earns 46 times the minimum wage in his country.
In Guatemala the minimum wage for 2024 is Q3,477.82, taking into account the data for non-agricultural activities in most of the country.
That is, Arévalo would earn Q159,979.72 per month, according to the calculation with information from DW.
The Guatemalan president is followed by the president of Uruguay, Luis Alberto Aparicio Alejandro Lacalle, who earns 40 times the minimum wage monthly.
Although according to the site ElObservador.com, the minimum wage in Uruguay is the highest in South America and the second highest in Latin America in 2024, which is 22,268 Uruguayan pesos (regarding US$570 per month).
DW highlights that the minimum wage is an interesting indicator because there you can observe the price level, income differences and define where presidents actually earn more or less.
The president of Uruguay is followed by the Colombian president Gustavo Petro, who receives 30 times the minimum monthly salary of that country set at regarding US$335 per month, according to data from Infobae.
Then follow the presidents of Mexico, Andrés López Obrador; that of Argentina, Javier Milei, and that of Brazil Lula da Silva.
In Mexico the minimum wage is US$440, in Argentina it is US$152 and in Brazil it is US$291, according to data from Infobae.
DW makes the comparisons using each country’s minimum wage, because US$100 is not worth the same in Mexico as it is in Costa Rica, while the minimum wage can give a better idea of price levels in each country and income differences.
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