Children growing up without their parents in Latin America.
About 11 million children in the region live with neither parent. Almost none of them are orphans, and almost none of them are in orphanages.
Last checked 21 September 2026. Every figure below comes from a public household survey or UN dataset, listed at the bottom.
children living with neither parent, across the 18 countries with data.
of them have both parents alive. Only 0.1 to 1% of all children have lost both parents.
children at home with relatives for every child in an institution (about 142,000 to 240,000 in residential care).
are the grandchild of the head of the household they live in. Most of the rest live with an aunt, uncle or other relative.
Not orphans.
Their parents migrated for work, separated, or could not cope. Up to 21% of children in the region live without one or both parents because of migration. Across the 15 countries with the detail, three in four or more of the children living with neither parent have both parents alive.
| Country (survey) | Living with neither parent | Both parents alive | Both parents dead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haiti (DHS 2016) | 21.4% | 15.8% | 1.0% |
| Honduras (DHS 2011) | 12.6% | 10.3% | 0.3% |
| Dominican Republic (MICS 2019) | 12.1% | 10.4% | |
| El Salvador (MICS 2014) | 9.9% | 8.4% | 0.2% |
| Paraguay (MICS 2016) | 9.1% | 7.9% | 0.1% |
| Nicaragua (ENDESA 2011-12, under 15) | 9.0% | 8.0% | 0.2% |
| Bolivia (DHS 2008) | 8.2% | 7.1% | 0.2% |
| Colombia (DHS 2015) | 8.0% | 6.7% | 0.2% |
| Panama (MICS 2013) | 7.3% | 6.8% | |
| Guatemala (DHS 2015) | 7.0% | 5.4% | 0.3% |
| Cuba (MICS 2019) | 6.7% | 6.0% | |
| Uruguay (MICS 2012-13) | 4.7% | 3.7% | |
| Peru (DHS 2012) | 4.5% | 3.9% | 0.1% |
| Mexico (MICS 2015) | 4.1% | 3.3% | 0.4% |
| Costa Rica (MICS 2018) | 3.9% | 3.2% |
Mostly teenagers.
The share rises with age and peaks at 15 to 17, exactly when leaving school for work pulls hardest. In Honduras and the Dominican Republic, one in five 15 to 17 year olds lives with neither parent.
| Country (survey year) | Age 0-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haiti (2016) | 11.6% | 21.2% | 26.6% | 29.3% |
| Honduras (2011) | 4.7% | 11.7% | 14.9% | 22.2% |
| Dominican Republic (2019) | 4.6% | 12.7% | 14.4% | 20.1% |
| El Salvador (2014) | 2.7% | 7.7% | 12.8% | 17.2% |
| Paraguay (2016) | 4.7% | 7.2% | 11.1% | 16.2% |
| Guatemala (2015) | 2.8% | 5.7% | 8.2% | 14.3% |
| Bolivia (2008) | 4.0% | 7.7% | 9.9% | 13.9% |
| Colombia (2015) | 3.2% | 7.2% | 9.2% | 13.7% |
| Panama (2013) | 3.6% | 6.6% | 7.8% | 13.4% |
| Cuba (2019) | 2.2% | 6.6% | 7.4% | 13.2% |
| Costa Rica (2018) | 1.5% | 2.9% | 4.3% | 8.6% |
| Peru (2012) | 2.5% | 5.4% | 8.4% | not collected |
At home, uncounted.
Child-protection systems count children in institutions. These children are in no register, get no placement support, and their carers are rarely asked what they need. In Venezuela, about 60% of children left with relatives had no document giving their carer guardianship.
| Country | Children (2023) | Living with neither parent | Estimated children | Estimated in residential care | At home : in an institution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 12.2M | 2.7% (2019-20) | 330k | 8,800 | 38 : 1 |
| Bolivia | 4.4M | 8.2% (2008) | 361k | 5,000 | 72 : 1 |
| Brazil | 51.0M | 7% (2010) | 3.57M | 33,100 | 108 : 1 |
| Chile | 4.1M | 9% (2002) | 372k | 5,700 | 65 : 1 |
| Colombia | 13.1M | 8.0% (2015) | 1.05M | 5,300 | 198 : 1 |
| Costa Rica | 1.2M | 3.9% (2018) | 47k | 3,800 | 12 : 1 |
| Cuba | 2.1M | 6.7% (2019) | 138k | 400 | 345 : 1 |
| Dominican Republic | 3.6M | 12.1% (2019) | 439k | 3,000 | 146 : 1 |
| Ecuador | 5.4M | no figure | 1,500 | ||
| El Salvador | 1.9M | 9.9% (2014) | 191k | 600 | 318 : 1 |
| Guatemala | 7.0M | 7.0% (2015) | 487k | 5,000 | 97 : 1 |
| Haiti | 4.4M | 21.4% (2016) | 936k | 26,100 | 36 : 1 |
| Honduras | 3.9M | 12.6% (2011) | 496k | 3,900 | 127 : 1 |
| Mexico | 39.0M | 4.1% (2015) | 1.60M | 21,600 | 74 : 1 |
| Nicaragua | 2.4M | 9.0% (2011-12, under 15) | 215k | 2,400 | 90 : 1 |
| Panama | 1.3M | 7.3% (2013) | 98k | 1,000 | 98 : 1 |
| Paraguay | 2.3M | 9.1% (2016) | 211k | 800 | 264 : 1 |
| Peru | 10.0M | 4.5% (2012) | 449k | 8,700 | 52 : 1 |
| Uruguay | 0.8M | 4.7% (2012-13) | 36k | 2,700 | 13 : 1 |
| Venezuela | 9.1M | no figure | 2,800 |
The gaps, stated plainly.
- DHS Program: living arrangements and orphanhood, national and by age, latest survey per country.
- UNICEF MICS survey findings reports (Argentina 2019-20, Costa Rica 2018, Cuba 2019, Dominican Republic 2019, El Salvador 2014, Mexico 2015, Paraguay 2016, Uruguay 2012-13, Panama 2013), and Nicaragua ENDESA 2011-12.
- World Family Map 2014, Child Trends and Institute for Family Studies (Brazil, Chile).
- UNICEF Data: child population (UN World Population Prospects 2024), orphan estimates (UNAIDS), residential care rates.
- UNICEF, Children who stay behind in Latin America and the Caribbean while parents migrate.
- UNICEF and RELAF (2013), children in institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- CEPAL: child poverty and pension coverage.