Kinley Salmon is an economist, journalist, university lecturer and global affairs analyst who brings a unique perspective on geopolitics, economic development, and technological change.
He is currently Latin America correspondent for The Economist, based in Montevideo, where he reports across the whole region—from Tierra del Fuego through the Amazon to Mexico—on the big thematic stories: the new economics of drug trafficking, the structural roots of low growth and inequality, and the political forces reshaping the continent.
He leads coverage of the biggest stories such as the dramatic changes in Venezuela, Javier Milei’s radical reforms in Argentina and the future of Colombia. He writes many of The Economist’s leaders (editorials) on Latin America and has interviewed presidents and leading politicians including Javier Milei, María Corina Machado, José Antonio Kast, Daniel Noboa, and Abelardo de la Espriella.
Before Latin America, he spent over four years as The Economist's Africa correspondent, based in Dakar, Senegal where he covered six coups and wars in the Sahel and Sudan as well as the continent's economic transformations and tumultuous politics.
Before joining The Economist, Salmon worked as an economist at the World Bank joining first on its prestigious Young Professionals Program. In that role, he focused on private-sector growth in emerging markets as well as education in places as complex as Afghanistan and Syria.
Earlier in his career he worked as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, based in London, advising governments and businesses across Britain, Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
He is also the author of Jobs, Robots and Us, a book exploring how artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics will reshape labor markets and the global economy.
Educated at Cambridge University and Harvard University, Salmon combines rigorous economic and political analysis with the narrative clarity of a journalist.
Why Book Kinley Salmon?
- A rare bridge between journalism, policy, and business
Former World Bank economist and McKinsey consultant, now correspondent for The Economist covering Latin America and global affairs. - Deep expertise on contemporary trends in Latin America
Written features on the war on drugs and the new economics of trafficking, Venezuela’s political transformation and Argentina’s bold economic experiment. - A truly global perspective on emerging markets
Experience advising governments and institutions across Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. - Clear insights on the future of work and automation
Author of Jobs, Robots and Us, explaining how AI, robotics, and automation will reshape industries and labor markets - Trusted interpreter of complex global trends
Helps audiences understand how geopolitics, economics, and technology interact.
