As riots continue in Chile much has been made of the income gap as a cause of the unrest. However, according to the Organisation of Economic co-operation and Development, Chile has some of the highest social mobility in the world. Image: Henry Romero/Reuters

A series of protests have been escalating across Latin America in recent months.

Millions of people have taken to the streets to rail against their governments, economic inequality, political corruption and an array of other issues, prompting mass transit breakdowns and a brutal response from police.

Earlier this month, some media outlets began using the term “Latin American spring”, comparing these protests to the Arab Spring uprising that began in 2011. The Guardian described it as a “howl of rage”, while Bloomberg said Latin America is “in revolt”.

As waves of protest can be felt across the region, from Venezuela down to Chile, here’s your guide to what’s going on:

WHY ARE LATIN AMERICANS PROTESTING?

Protests in Latin America are getting worse as citizens stand up to political corruption and a lack of delivery on economic promises.

The protests in several countries have been sparked largely by frustration with corruption, economic inequality and governments that are perceived to be imposing austerity measures without regard for the daily hardship of many citizens.

In Bolivia, protesters first took to the streets over a disputed election that former President Evo Morales said he had won. Mr Morales later resigned after an international audit found irregularities in the vote and he lost support of the military.

VENEZUELA

Once one of Latin America’s most prosperous nations, the oil-rich country has plummeted into crisis under its socialist President.

While Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, a fall in prices coupled with corruption and mismanagement under two decades of socialist rule have left the country in chaos.

Most migrants say they are fleeing Venezuela’s imploding economy.

Mr Maduro regularly dismisses the migration figures as “fake news” created to justify foreign intervention in Venezuela’s affairs.

He also urged his country’s people to “stop cleaning toilets abroad” and return home.

Organised protests have taken place since January this year as a co-ordinated effort to drive Mr Maduro out of the top job.

He was re-elected in May in a vote that dozens of foreign governments described as rigged.

But he insists the election was free and fair and says the situation was the result of an “economic war” led by the opposition and business leaders who are arbitrarily raising prices.

CHILE

In recent years, Chile has been considered relatively stable. But in October this year, that all changed.

It all started over a fair hike for public transport. Young Chileans began protesting on October 18 last month after ticket prices went up 30 pesos, or about 3 per cent. Students called for mass fare evasions and protests, using the hashtag #EvasionMasiva, which led to thousands of people swarming metro stations across the country and avoiding payments.

This quickly escalated into broader demonstrations – at the end of October, more than a million people marched through the streets of Chile’s capital, Santiago.

The country has now entered its sixth consecutive week of protests, marking the worst crisis in three decades of Chilean democracy, with over two dozen people dead.

Furious Chileans have been protesting social and economic inequality, and against an entrenched political elite that comes from a small number of the wealthiest families in the country, among other issues.

COLOMBIA

Over the past week, hundreds of thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets in protest against President Iván Duque and his right-wing government.

The protests were triggered by a rumoured proposal to cut pensions, though the government never formally confirmed this.

It marked one of the largest mass demonstrations the country has seen in recent years, criticising the government’s lack of action on economic inequality and corruption.

Various groups of protesters came together – environmental and animal rights groups, women’s rights groups, and people from a vast array of industries protesting economic inequality.

The protests started out peaceful, but before nightfall, police began firing tear gas. Three people died amid social unrest, according to official government figures.

The government assigned soldiers to monitor the streets. Protesters say they have been motivated by recent events in Ecuador and Chile, where weeks of sustained demonstrations forced the governments of those countries to change some of their economic policies.

ECUADOR

In early October, massive anti-government protests took place in Ecuador, prompting a violent response from police that marked some of the worst unrest the country has seen in more than a decade.

Protests began on October 3 after President Lenin Moreno cut petrol subsidies that had been in place in the country for 40 years, in a move which saw the price of diesel and petrol spike overnight.

Transportation unions organised a national strike, blocking roads and highways which brought the country to a standstill. Mass protests followed, with thousands from various unions and human rights organisations joining forces to demand the government reverse its reforms and cuts.

HAITI

Haitians have been protesting almost every day since early September, calling for the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse and protesting against corruption, inflation and the scarcity of basic goods.

Just last week, at least four people were shot and wounded during a protest in the country’s capital, including a local journalist, as several hundred people marched through affluent neighbourhoods.

Mr Moïse has rejected repeated calls to resign. “The country is more than divided, the country is torn apart,” he said in a recent speech.

“We ask for unity, between the rich and the poor, between those of the top and the bottom, between the people with black skin and light skin, between rural and urban.

“If we were united as one we would not see exploitation of a small group while the majority stand in misery, poverty and insecurity. This is not what our ancestors wanted.”

HOW LONG WILL THE PROTESTS LAST?

According to the Latin America Risk Report, the situation in Latin American is only set to worsen in 2020.

“Anger at the political systems isn’t going away and, in many ways, governments are trapped … There will be more protests, and they’ll be more violent in 2020,” said the newsletter’s author James Bosworth.

Mr Bosworth warned the protests will most likely “continue and expand around the region”, noting protesters will be emboldened by the success in neighbouring countries.

He notes that most of the protesting countries haven’t finished yet, and that one of the “model countries” of the region — Chile — has now too succumbed to protest.

“Having seen protests begin, there are strong reasons to believe they will continue and expand around the region,” says Bosworth. “Many countries seem to be on edge, waiting for a catalyst to light the fire. And as protesters have seen success in neighbouring countries, they have been emboldened to call for similar protests in their own countries.”