BIM adoption in Latin America is no longer an emerging conversation. It is now part of public-sector modernization, private-sector productivity programs, university training, and industry transformation agendas. But adoption is still uneven across markets. While some countries have mature national surveys and public-sector strategies, others are still building the baseline data needed to measure adoption consistently.
And that difference really matters. For AECO teams working across Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, the question is not simply whether BIM is growing. It is where the market has moved from awareness to practical use, where adoption remains early, and where public-sector demand may accelerate the next phase.
A regional view from the Inter-American Development Bank shows why this matters. The IDB’s first BIM business survey in Latin America and the Caribbean included more than 750 companies across 18 countries. It found that BIM use in the region was still “incipient, although promising,” with lack of demand, local talent, training, and adoption costs among the main barriers for non-users. The same IDB article also notes that several governments were already deploying national plans to incorporate BIM into public infrastructure projects.
As Roberto Massa, Director of Strategy & Consulting, Hexagon Multivista, states:
“BIM adoption in Latam cannot be measured as one regional curve. Each market is moving at its own pace, shaped by public-sector demand, private-sector maturity, talent availability, and how clearly each country connects BIM to productivity outcomes.”
Argentina: Strong awareness, early practical adoption
Argentina shows a market with high awareness, but relatively early practical adoption. BIM Forum Argentina’s 2023 survey on digitalization in construction gathered responses from 1,311 professionals across the construction sector. The results show that only 12.5% of respondents reported no awareness of BIM, while 95% of those familiar with BIM had a positive or neutral perception of the methodology.
The adoption curve, however, is still developing. The same survey found that 65% of professionals were in initial training or early adoption stages, and only 20% had practical BIM experience. Among those with practical experience, only 23.6% had worked in integrated BIM experiences with third parties – meaning fewer than 5% of total respondents had participated in integrated BIM workflows with information exchange across organizations.
For Argentina, the signal is clear: the market understands BIM and sees its value, but the bigger opportunity is moving from isolated or educational use into collaborative, interoperable workflows.
Chile: One of the region’s most mature adoption curves
Chile is one of the strongest BIM adoption examples in the region because it has repeated national survey data and a long-running public-sector strategy. The 2022 National BIM Survey, developed by the University of Chile and shared through Construye2025, found that 80% of professionals had some BIM experience and that half of them had become regular users. It also reported that BIM use in Chile continued growing at rates close to 8% per year when compared with previous surveys from 2013, 2016, and 2019.
That adoption trajectory is supported by public-sector coordination. An IDB case study on BIM in Chile highlights PlanBIM Corfo as part of the Construye2025 program. It identifies public-sector coordination as a key factor in fostering consistent adoption of digital technologies to improve construction productivity.
Chile’s lesson for the region is that adoption data, public-sector leadership, and capability building can reinforce each other. Instead of treating BIM as a software transition, Chile has helped frame it as a productivity and collaboration strategy.
Brazil: Adoption is growing, but still uneven
Brazil has one of the largest construction markets in Latin America, and BIM adoption is growing from a measurable base. According to FGV IBRE’s Construction Survey, the share of Brazilian construction companies using BIM reached 20.6% in March 2024, up from 9.2% in March 2018. In residential building companies, the rate reached 37.2%.
The same FGV IBRE data shows that companies using BIM most often apply it in project analysis, followed by budgeting and planning. In March 2024, 81.4% of companies using BIM applied it to project analysis, 63% to budgeting, and 59.4% to planning.
Brazil also has a policy and institutional layer supporting adoption. ABDI reported in 2024 that actions included the New BIM BR Strategy work plan for 2025 to 2027, the BIMBR platform, the National BIM Library, and research on BIM and smart cities in Brazilian municipalities.
Brazil’s adoption pattern looks practical and market-driven: clear growth, strong use in design and preconstruction functions, and ongoing public-sector support to expand the methodology beyond leading adopters.
Mexico: Building the national adoption baseline
Mexico is an important market, but the publicly available adoption picture is less mature than in Chile, Brazil, or Colombia. The strongest current signal is not a national adoption percentage, but the creation of structured measurement efforts.
RICI’s Macro Adoption BIM Mexico initiative describes macro adoption as a systematic national implementation process involving policy, standards, training, and technology adoption. Its 2024 information session states that Mexico’s first BIM Macro Adoption Study was being carried out from July to November 2024, using models developed by Succar and Kassem and a standardized BIMe Initiative questionnaire applied in more than 20 countries.
RICI also describes the diagnostic as covering three groups: government, academia, and industry. Government research examines what the three levels of government are doing to facilitate BIM adoption; academia research examines how BIM and digital transformation are being taught; and industry research examines the tools, workflows, and standards companies are using.
For Mexico, the story is about formalizing measurement. The market has momentum, but the next step is turning distributed activity into comparable adoption data.
Colombia: Measurable private-sector adoption and public-sector traction
Colombia has one of the clearest recent market snapshots. Camacol’s national BIM survey reported that more than 90% of respondents identified BIM as highly relevant to their work at both the organizational and industry levels. It also collected information from 25 of Colombia’s 32 departments, with participation largely from private companies and MSMEs.
A separate Camacol summary of the national survey found that 52% of private-sector companies consulted were working with BIM, while 38% of public-sector entities had adopted the methodology. It also reported that 66% of companies had adopted BIM for at least three years, 71% were implementing it in project structuring and planning, and only 14% were using it in the construction phase.
That gap between planning and construction is important. Colombia is not only adopting BIM – it is now facing the next maturity question: how to move BIM deeper into field execution, handover, and asset and facility management operations.
As Roberto Massa explains: “The next phase of BIM maturity in Latin America will be about moving beyond design coordination into execution, handover, and long-term asset value. The countries that connect BIM to measurable project outcomes and use structured information as the foundation for digital twins will be the ones that accelerate adoption fastest.”
Conclusion
Across these five markets, BIM adoption in Latin America is advancing, but not at the same pace or in the same way. Chile leads with sustained survey evidence and strong institutional coordination. Brazil shows measurable growth and a large opportunity to expand beyond early adopters. Colombia has strong private-sector traction and a clear challenge in moving from planning to construction. Argentina has high awareness but needs more integrated BIM workflows. Mexico is building the measurement foundation that can support more structured national adoption.
For regional AECO teams, the takeaway is simple: BIM adoption is no longer optional, but market maturity varies. Success will depend on understanding local adoption data, aligning with public-sector requirements, investing in people and standards, and connecting BIM more directly to construction execution and long-term asset value.
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