# Latin America software development statistics, 2026

URL: https://enzrossi.com/latam-software-development-statistics
Updated: 2026-09-13. Refreshed quarterly.

A sourced reference on Latin American engineering talent. Third-party figures link to the original report. EnzRossi figures come from its own placement and vetting data and are labeled as such.

## The LATAM software talent market

Latin America has one of the fastest-growing developer populations in the world, and English proficiency in the main hiring countries ranges from moderate to high.

| Statistic | Value | Notes | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Brazil developer community growth on GitHub, year over year | About 27% | GitHub listed Brazil among the fastest-growing developer communities in 2024 | [GitHub, 2024](https://octoverse.github.com/) |
| English proficiency, Argentina (EF EPI score, high band) | 72 / 100 |  | [EF Education First, 2024](https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/) |
| English proficiency, Uruguay (EF EPI score, high band) | 68 / 100 |  | [EF Education First, 2024](https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/) |
| English proficiency, Chile (EF EPI score, high band) | 67 / 100 |  | [EF Education First, 2024](https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/) |
| English proficiency, Colombia (EF EPI score, moderate band) | 64 / 100 |  | [EF Education First, 2024](https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/) |
| English proficiency, Brazil (EF EPI score, moderate band) | 60 / 100 |  | [EF Education First, 2024](https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/) |
| English proficiency, Peru (EF EPI score, moderate band) | 56 / 100 |  | [EF Education First, 2024](https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/) |

## Software development cost: LATAM vs US

US base salaries come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and EnzRossi's calculator. LATAM figures are EnzRossi all-inclusive annual rates, so they already include payroll, benefits and management.

| Statistic | Value | Notes | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| US median annual wage, software developers | $130,160 | Base salary only; benefits and overhead typically add 25 to 40% | [US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes151252.htm) |
| Senior full-stack engineer: LATAM all-inclusive vs US base salary | $98,000 vs $165,000 per year | 41% lower before US benefits and overhead are added | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/resources/cost-calculator) |
| Mid-level full-stack engineer: LATAM all-inclusive vs US base salary | $70,000 vs $125,000 per year | 44% lower before US benefits and overhead are added | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/resources/cost-calculator) |
| Senior backend engineer: LATAM all-inclusive vs US base salary | $95,000 vs $160,000 per year | 41% lower before US benefits and overhead are added | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/resources/cost-calculator) |
| Senior mobile engineer: LATAM all-inclusive vs US base salary | $92,000 vs $155,000 per year | 41% lower before US benefits and overhead are added | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/resources/cost-calculator) |
| Senior ml / ai engineer: LATAM all-inclusive vs US base salary | $110,000 vs $185,000 per year | 41% lower before US benefits and overhead are added | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/resources/cost-calculator) |
| Senior tech lead: LATAM all-inclusive vs US base salary | $120,000 vs $195,000 per year | 38% lower before US benefits and overhead are added | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/resources/cost-calculator) |

## Time zone overlap with the United States

Offsets are standard time. Daylight saving in the US and in Chile shifts overlap by one hour part of the year; Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay and Peru do not observe it.

| Statistic | Value | Notes | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Brazil (São Paulo), Argentina, Uruguay | UTC-3 | 2 hours ahead of US Eastern (UTC-5), 5 hours ahead of US Pacific (UTC-8) | [IANA, 2026](https://www.iana.org/time-zones) |
| Chile (Santiago), standard time | UTC-4 | 1 hour ahead of US Eastern | [IANA, 2026](https://www.iana.org/time-zones) |
| Colombia, Peru | UTC-5 | Same clock as US Eastern all year | [IANA, 2026](https://www.iana.org/time-zones) |
| Overlap with a 9 to 5 US Eastern workday for a 9 to 6 LATAM workday | 6 to 8 hours | Full overlap for Colombia and Peru; 6 hours for UTC-3 countries | [IANA, 2026](https://www.iana.org/time-zones) |
| Overlap with a 9 to 5 US Pacific workday | 3 to 5 hours | Most LATAM engineers shift their day later to cover West Coast mornings | [IANA, 2026](https://www.iana.org/time-zones) |

## AI tool adoption among developers

AI-assisted coding is now standard practice across the profession, which is why AI tool fluency is one of the five dimensions EnzRossi vets for.

| Statistic | Value | Notes | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Developers using or planning to use AI tools in their development process | 76% | Up from 70% the year before, across all regions surveyed | [Stack Overflow, 2024](https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/ai) |
| Developers who report currently using AI tools | 62% |  | [Stack Overflow, 2024](https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/ai) |

## EnzRossi network and delivery metrics

Figures from EnzRossi's own placement and vetting data. The shortlist figure applies to common roles such as full-stack development.

| Statistic | Value | Notes | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| People placed with US clients since 2022 | 200+ |  | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/vetting-process) |
| Engineers in the vetted talent database | 3,000+ |  | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/vetting-process) |
| Applicants who pass the five-dimension vetting | 5% | Roughly 1 in 20 | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/vetting-process) |
| Client satisfaction score | 97% |  | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/vetting-process) |
| Days to first candidate shortlist | 3 days | For common roles like full-stack. Other roles typically take 7 to 10 days. | [EnzRossi, 2026](https://enzrossi.com/vetting-process) |

## Sources

1. Octoverse 2024: The state of open source, GitHub (2024): https://octoverse.github.com/
2. EF English Proficiency Index, EF Education First (2024): https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/
3. Occupational Employment and Wages, Software Developers (15-1252), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2023): https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes151252.htm
4. EnzRossi cost calculator, all-inclusive LATAM rates vs US base salary, EnzRossi (2026): https://enzrossi.com/resources/cost-calculator
5. Time zone offsets, IANA time zone database, IANA (2026): https://www.iana.org/time-zones
6. 2024 Developer Survey, AI section, Stack Overflow (2024): https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/ai
7. EnzRossi placement and vetting data, EnzRossi (2026): https://enzrossi.com/vetting-process