More Than Half of Latin Americans Are Connected to the Internet Laura Alvarado - Agencia EFE
go to original October 9, 2016

At least 56% of Latin Americans are connected to the internet, 10% more than the world average despite the lack of technological infrastructure, reveled the study “Uses of the Internet in Latin America” presented in Panama City.

The investigation, with an error margin of less than 2.5%, according to its director Venezuelan Carlos Jiménez, told EFE, this study was done through 5000 online surveys in 15 countries, this represents a sample of 98% of the population, but he warned, “we can’t generalize”.

While in 2011 the world average of people connected to the internet was of 32%, in Latin America 37% and in Panama 30%, for this 2016 the internet users represent a 46% globally, 56% in Latin America and 57% of Panamanians, he detailed during his presentation.

Jimenez grouped the Latin American countries according to the percentage of internet users: Uruguay and Chile are of 70%, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Puerto Rico are between a 61%-70%, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Dominican Republic and Venezuela have 51%-60%; Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru 41%-50% and finally with less than 40% El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

He explained that the advance compared by country has rised due to the “digital gap” that still exists, and that now is based in the limitation there is of access to broadband due to the little penetration of the fiber optic, and not because it isn’t available or people are unaware of its existence.

“The television is still the main means”, he admitted, and in Latin America “people still prefer to go to the point of sale”, instead of purchasing a product using eCommerce.

Read the rest at The Costa Rica Star

Image: Moozup.com

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!