OECD Economic Surveys: Colombia 2019

Abstract

This Survey was prepared for the Committee by Alberto González Pandiella and Paula Garda under the supervision of Piritta Sorsa. Statistical research assistance was provided by Marnix Dek and editorial assistance by Carolina González. The Survey also benefited from contributions from Andrew Chapman, Julien Gourdon, and Daniela Rodríguez in Chapter 1 and Veerle Miranda as a co-author in Chapter 2.

The Survey was discussed at a meeting of the Economic and Development Review Committee (EDRC) on 29 November 2018 and is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD.

Basic statistics of Colombia, 2018

(Numbers in parentheses refer to the OECD average)*

LAND, PEOPLE AND ELECTORAL CYCLE
Population (million)	48.3		Population density per km² (2017)	44.2	(35.6)
Under 15 (%, 2017)	23.4	(17.9)	Life expectancy (years, 2017)	74.6	(80.7)
Over 65 (%, 2017)	7.6	(16.8)	Men	71.0	(78.1)
			Women	78.2	(83.4)
Latest 5-year average growth (%)	0.5	(0.6)	Latest general election	June 2018
ECONOMY
Gross domestic product (GDP)			Value added shares (%)
In current prices (billion USD)	331.5		Primary sector	6.9	(2.5)
In current prices (trillion COP)	978.5		Industry including construction	29.4	(27.0)
Latest 5-year average real growth (%)	2.7	(2.3)	Services	63.7	(70.5)
Per capita (000 USD PPP)	15.3	(45.8)
GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Per cent of GDP
Expenditure	27.4	(40.6)	Gross financial debt (OECD: 2017)	52.6	(112.3)
Revenue	25.2	(40.2)	Net financial debt (OECD: 2017)	36.2	(69.8)
EXTERNAL ACCOUNTS
Exchange rate (COP per USD)	2 951.3		Main exports (% of total merchandise exports)
PPP exchange rate (USA = 1)	1 322.2		Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials	57.9
In per cent of GDP			Food and live animals	12.1
Exports of goods and services	15.9	(56.2)	Chemicals and related products, n.e.s.	7.7
Imports of goods and services	20.8	(52.0)	Main imports (% of total merchandise imports)
Current account balance	-3.9	(0.3)	Machinery and transport equipment	33.9
Net international investment position	-46.4		Chemicals and related products, n.e.s.	20.3
			Manufactured goods	15.6
LABOUR MARKET, SKILLS AND INNOVATION
Employment rate for 15-64 year-olds (%)	66.4	(68.4)	Unemployment rate, Labour Force Survey (age 15 and over) (%)	9.7	(5.3)
Men	78.6	(76.0)	Youth (age 15-24, %)	19.7	(11.1)
Women	54.6	(60.9)	Long-term unemployed (1 year and over, %)	0.9	(1.5)
Participation rate for 15-64 year-olds (%)	73.8	(72.4)	Tertiary educational attainment 25-64 year-olds (%, 2017)	22.5	(36.5)
Average hours worked per year	2 236	(1 734)	Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP, 2017)	0.2	(2.4)
ENVIRONMENT
Total primary energy supply per capita (toe, 2016, OECD: 2017)	0.8	(4.1)	CO2 emissions from fuel combustion per capita (tonnes, 2016)	1.8	(9.0)
Renewables (%, 2016, OECD: 2017)	24.1	(10.2)	Water abstractions per capita (1 000 m³, 2012, OECD: 2016)	0.8	(0.8)
Exposure to air pollution (more than 10 μg/m³ of PM2.5, % of population, 2017)	93.2	(58.7)	Municipal waste per capita (tonnes, 2015, OECD: 2017)	0.2	(0.5)
SOCIETY
Income inequality (Gini coefficient, 2017)	0.476	(0.317)	Education outcomes (PISA score, 2015)
Relative poverty rate (%, 2017)	19.3	(11.8)	Reading	425	(492)
Median gross household income (000 USD PPP)a	6.3	(23.3)	Mathematics	390	(490)
Public and private spending (% of GDP)			Science	416	(493)
Health care (2017)	7.2	(8.8)	Share of women in parliament (%)	18.1	(29.7)
Pensions (OECD: 2015)	3.5	(8.5)	Net official development assistance (% of GNI, 2017)	-0.3	(0.4)
Education (primary, secondary, post sec. non tertiary, 2016)	4.0	(3.5)

* The year is indicated in parenthesis if it deviates from the year in the main title of this table. Where the OECD aggregate is not provided in the source database, a simple OECD average of latest available data is calculated where data exist for at least 29 member countries.

a. Data refers to a preliminary value of the median gross (i.e. before subtracting taxes) household income for Colombia from 2015-16. Data refers to the median disposable (i.e. net of taxes) household income for the OECD for 2016.

Source: Calculations based on data extracted from the databases of the following organisations: OECD, International Energy Agency, UNESCO, UN Comtrade, World Bank, IMF and Inter-Parliamentary Union, DGPM - Ministerio de Hacienda y Crédito Público, DANE, Banco de la República.