Uruguay's 83.3% internet usage beats Russia, Portugal, and France, thanks to "one laptop per child."

Bar chart comparing Internet usage across Latin American countries, showing Uruguay has the highest percentage of Internet users | Sources: World Bank, Latinometrics — Uruguay Leads LatAm's Connectivity

In Uruguay, 83.3% of the population used the Internet in 2019, the highest percentage in Latin America. As a comparison, Uruguay stacks up just above countries like Russia, Portugal, and France.

The country has enacted a series of policies meant to modernize the economy. Most notably, in 2007, it pledged to adopt a “one laptop per child” initiative for all of its primary schools, delivering 450,000 laptops and no-cost internet access in only four years.

Uruguay is living proof that Latin American countries can keep up with the rapid pace of technological development.