Digital Eco-Efficiency in Latin American Higher Education Websites: A Comparative Analysis of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia

We examined the digital environmental performance of university websites in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, focusing on the technical characteristics of institutional web infrastructures and their associated carbon footprint. Using a quantitative, comparative design, we analyzed 203 university websites with two widely used assessment tools: EcoIndex and Website Carbon Calculator. The analysis considered indicators of technical efficiency, including efficiency scores, data transfer weight, structural complexity measured by DOM elements, and estimated CO₂ emissions per page load. The results reveal a general pattern of digital inefficiency across the three countries, with more than 80% of the institutions analyzed classified in the lowest performance categories. While EcoIndex scores show relatively homogeneous patterns at the country level, estimates from the Website Carbon Calculator show greater variability, with Peruvian universities exhibiting higher average emissions than those in Ecuador and Colombia. This divergence reflects the distinct analytical scope of each tool and underscores the importance of considering both structural and contextual dimensions when assessing digital sustainability. Overall, the findings highlight a mismatch between institutional sustainability discourses and the technical performance of university web platforms. From an exploratory perspective, they highlight the potential relevance of incorporating digital carbon footprint indicators into discussions of higher education governance and accreditation, while emphasizing the need for cautious interpretation given the study’s descriptive, cross-sectional nature.