How can the digitisation of public services improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean?

Over the last decade, Latin America and the Caribbean has become increasingly digitalized, with the spread of internet use to roughly three-quarters of the population, a rapid proliferation of smartphones, and the emergence of numerous new digital companies worth over a billion dollars in areas such as commerce and finance.

This digital revolution has had visible impacts on private activity. Digital communications, online shopping and social media have transformed the way most people in the region socialize and do business.

But in areas where the governments affect citizens’ lives—areas ranging from education and healthcare to fiscal matters and public administration—Latin America and the Caribbean still lags behind developed countries in offering digital applications that could improve public services, drive development, and improve social welfare. Read more.