Latin American and Caribbean countries have made real progress strengthening their cybersecurity defenses, but gaps in funding, skilled workers, and cross-sector coordination still leave the region exposed to evolving digital threats, a new “2025 Cybersecurity Report: Vulnerability and Maturity Challenges to Bridging the Gaps in Latin America and the Caribbean” report shows. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States, working with the Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre at the University of Oxford, assessed cybersecurity maturity across 30 countries using data collected from OAS member states between 2020 and 2025.
The study benchmarks national capacities using the Cybersecurity Capacity Maturity Model for Nations, which looks at five key areas: policy and strategy, culture and society, education and skills, legal frameworks, and technology standards. It’s the most comprehensive assessment of the region to date and provides comparisons over time and between countries.
The region has shown steady improvement across all five dimensions since 2020, and the maturity gap between countries is narrowing. However, some areas lag behind—software quality, critical infrastructure protection, and the cybersecurity marketplace remain less developed. Investment in cybersecurity research and innovation is still in early stages, and few organizations have adopted cyber insurance.
“The digital revolution is transforming economies and societies across Latin America and the Caribbean, but it also brings new risks,” said Paula Acosta, chief of the Institutional Capacity of State Division at the IDB. “While the region has made important progress and average results have improved across all assessed dimensions, there is a clear need to accelerate investment in cybersecurity, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, operational capabilities, and ensure that all countries are better equipped to manage the increasing cybersecurity risks.”
The rapid spread of artificial intelligence is reshaping the threat landscape, amplifying existing risks and creating new vulnerabilities. The report emphasizes the urgent need for updated governance, standards, and capacity-building to tackle AI-related cybersecurity challenges. Countries that weave cybersecurity into broader development agendas and build public-private partnerships are better positioned to respond to threats and close gaps. “The OAS will continue standing alongside countries, providing technical support and fostering cooperation, so that the Hemisphere advances together,” said Iván Marques, OAS Secretary for Multidimensional Security.
