PAPILA dataset is a collection of annual emission inventories of reactive gases (CO, NOx, NMVOCs, NH3 and SO2) from anthropogenic sources in South America, for the period 2014–2016. The dataset was developed on the basis of the existing data on the global dataset CAMS-GLOB-ANT v4.1 (developed by joining CEDS trends and EDGARv4.3.2 historical data), enriching it with derived data from locally available emission inventories for Argentina, Chile and Colombia. The inventories are presented as NetCDF4 files, one for each species and year, gridded with a spatial resolution of 0.1° x 0.1° covering the domain 32° W–120° W and 34° N–58° S. Each file contains 12 variables corresponding to the emissions in Tg/y from the following categories, which are organized and denominated using the nomenclature given by CAMS: thermal power plants (ENE); residential and commercial combustion (RES); road transportation (TRO); non-road transportation (TNR); fugitive emissions (FEF); industries (including fuel consumption in manufacturing industries and construction, refineries, industrial processes and solvent and other products use) (IND); agricultural soils (AGS); agriculture livestock (AGL); inland navigation (SHP); international navigation (SHP-INT); waste (including solid waste, wastewater and incineration) (SWD); and the sum of all sectors (SUM).