World/South America

AI access, cost and use · South America · data read 1 Oct 2026

Ecuador

In Ecuador, a $20-a-month AI plan costs 9.9% of the median living standard, 12 times the share it takes in the United States; for 49% of people it is over a tenth of what they live on. Claude, OpenAI's API and Gemini are all officially offered. 77% of people use the internet, and Claude use per working-age person is 0.58 times the world average.

9.9%of the median living standard for a $20 planSouth America median 8.8% · United States 0.79%

49%of people for whom the plan is over a tenth of their living standardabout 9.0 m people

3of 3leading services officially offeredClaude · OpenAI · Gemini

77%of people use the internetworld 74% · 18 m people

The figuresEcuador

People18 m

Median living standard$2,433a year per person · income

A $20 plan takes9.9%of that · 12× the US share

For whom it is over a tenth49%of people

Survey2025revalued at 2025 prices

GNI per person$6,890plan is 3.5% of it

Claude use per person0.58×world average = 1

Notable AI models built here0

Officially offered here3 of 3

Run it yourself →

Claude · claude.ai appYes

OpenAI · APIYes

Gemini · web appYes

From each lab's own published list: Anthropic's Claude.ai countries, OpenAI's API countries and Google's Gemini web app countries. Not listed means not officially served; open-weight models can be run anywhere.

Against South America and the worldregional figures are medians or population-weighted

Measure	Ecuador	South America	World
A $20 plan ÷ median living standard	9.9%	8.8%	9.9%
People for whom it is over a tenth	49%	39%	63%
Plan price ÷ GNI per person	3.5%	2.9%	2.9%
People using the internet	77%	84%	74%
Claude use per working-age person	0.58×	1.31×	1.00×
Notable AI models built	0	1	1,256

What it is used forEcuador against the world

Report ↗

Ecuador

Work 39%

Personal 23%

Coursework 39%

The world

Work 42%

Personal 41%

Coursework 17%

Share of the world's Claude use0.17%0.22% of the world's people

Work39%world 42%

Personal23%world 41%

Coursework39%world 17%

Handed over to the model (automation)49%world 48%

Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026: Claude.ai conversations by country. One product from one lab, so read it as a signal of who is using frontier models, not a census.

What people make with itshare of conversations

Document or report22%

Explanation or answer14%

Advice or recommendation6%

Educational material4%

The most common things people in Ecuador ask Claude to produce.

NeighboursSouth America · lightest burden first

Country	People	Online	$20 plan ÷ median living standard	Over a tenth	Claude use per person	Official lists
Uruguay	3.4 m	92%	2.8%	5%	1.89×	3 of 3
Chile	20 m	96%	4.1%	8%	1.84×	3 of 3
Argentina	46 m	90%	5.0%	19%	1.48×	3 of 3
Brazil	213 m	84%	7.1%	35%	0.96×	3 of 3
Bolivia	13 m	80%	8.4%	41%	0.56×	3 of 3
Suriname	640k	87%	9.1%	45%	not reported	3 of 3
Peru	35 m	82%	9.6%	48%	1.05×	3 of 3
Paraguay	7.0 m	82%	9.7%	48%	0.59×	3 of 3
Ecuador	18 m	77%	9.9%	49%	0.58×	3 of 3
Colombia	53 m	79%	11%	55%	1.18×	3 of 3
Venezuela	29 m	77%	no estimate	–	not reported	1 of 3
Guyana	836k	83%	no estimate	–	not reported	3 of 3

All countries →

The foundationsEcuador against the world

World Bank ↗

People using the internet

77%world 74%

People with electricity

98%world 92%

Mobile subscriptions per 100 people

102world 112

Fixed broadband lines per 100 people

17.2world 20.1

Enrolled in university-level education

68%world 44%

Research spending, share of GDP

0.44%world 2.6%

Researchers per million people

400world 1,652

Secure internet servers per million people

491world 16,381

The latest World Bank figure for each measure. The tick marks the world figure.

A $20-a-month plan ($240 a year, US list price) against the median household living standard per person in each country. The median is from the latest national household survey (World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform), revalued from 2021 purchasing-power dollars into US dollars at recent prices and official exchange rates, assuming real living standards have not changed since the survey. Some surveys measure income and others consumption, which includes food people grow and housing they own, so this is a living standard, not cash to spare. Countries with no survey since 2015 or no defensible exchange rate are left blank.

World Bank household surveys ↗Anthropic countries ↗OpenAI countries ↗Gemini countries ↗Anthropic Economic Index ↗Epoch AI notable models ↗