Digital transformation will only reduce inequality if digital inclusion becomes a central component of the region’s inclusive social development strategies.
Digital transformation is reshaping how people learn, work, access public services and exercise their rights. At the same time, it presents one of the region's greatest policy challenges: ensuring that these new opportunities help reduce existing inequalities rather than deepen them.
This was one of the central messages of the Sixth Regional Seminar on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by ECLAC under the theme "Inequality and Digital Inclusion: Challenges and Opportunities for Inclusive Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean." Over three days, government authorities, international organizations, academics and civil society representatives explored how digital transformation can expand opportunities while advancing more inclusive social development across the region.
The data presented showed that connectivity has increased across the region, but very unevenly both between and within countries. In Paraguay, for example, 83% of households in the highest income quintile have Internet access, compared with only 12% of households in the lowest quintile. Quality gaps also persist: in 2024, the average fixed broadband download speed in the region was 119 Mbps, with many countries falling below that level. These differences constrain people’s opportunities to study, work and access services that require stable, high-capacity connections.
Discussions highlighted that digital inclusion extends well beyond Internet connectivity. It requires reliable access, appropriate devices, digital skills and the ability to use technology safely, confidently and in ways that improve people's lives.
The seminar also underscored that digital transformation cuts across virtually every dimension of social development. Education, health care, social protection, employment and civic participation increasingly depend on people's digital capabilities. As a result, digital policies should not be developed in isolation but fully integrated into national inclusive social development strategies.
The evidence presented confirmed that digital divides are, to a large extent, an expression of social inequalities. Income, educational attainment, territory and age shape not only access, but also digital skills and the ability to make meaningful use of technology. In the seven countries analysed, Internet use among people aged 15 to 29 exceeded 70%, while those aged 60 and over recorded the lowest levels. Closing these gaps requires addressing structural inequalities and strengthening digital capabilities throughout the life cycle.
These conclusions are aligned with the main messages of the five publications launched by ECLAC during the event, which addressed multidimensional inequality, the digital experiences of children and adolescents, educational inequalities, social cohesion, and the strengthening of health systems.
The seminar's overarching conclusion was clear: digital transformation alone will not deliver more inclusive social development. Its benefits will depend on the policy choices countries make to expand opportunities, strengthen people's capabilities and ensure that emerging technologies contribute to reducing inequality. Making digital inclusion a central pillar of public policy will be essential to building societies with less inequalities, resilient and inclusive societies across Latin America and the Caribbean.
