OBJECTIVES: Dengue fever affects tropical and subtropical regions, mainly low income areas. The incidence has been increasing steadily in Latin America, and despite costs variation between countries, its economic impact is consistently high. This study reviews papers on economic impact of dengue in Latin America. METHODS: We performed a systematic review in Pubmed (Medline), EMBASE and BVS, which includes Latin American databases. Nopublication date or language limits were used. All papers that considered costs (either direct medical, out-of-pocket, productivity or social) were included. Costs are expressed in 2015 American Dollars (USD). RESULTS: From a total of 848 initial references, 16 studies were selected for data extraction (2 each from Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Panama; and 1 each from Argentina, Venezuela, and Nicaragua; 2 articles included several countries). In general, the main impact of the disease was caused by productivity costs. Total average annual cost in Latin America has been estimated in more than USD $3 billion; 60% of which is represented by Brazil, followed by Mexico and Colombia. Direct costs are higher for hospitalized cases (Brazil $424 per case, Mexico $1,216, Colombia $523). In non-hospitalized patients, which are more than 95% of cases, direct medical costs are low but social costs (both productivity costs and out-of-pocket expenses) are significant (Brazil $117, Mexico $109, Colombia $115). CONCLUSIONS: Different social, environmental and political factors have influenced the increasing incidence of dengue fever. Difficulties in application of preventive policies have been a limitation for vector control; therefore, many preventable cases need to receive treatment, generating a high economic impact to the health systems and to society in general. It is essential to develop new public health interventions, such as the vaccination, to decrease the propagation of the disease.