Colombia
Did you know?
| indicator | value | unit |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 49.7 | mil. |
| Visitors per year | mil. | |
| Renewable energy | % |
How’s Life?
Colombia has made considerable progress in improving the quality of life of its citizens over the last decade. Notwithstanding, relative to other countries in the Better Life Index, Colombia underperforms the average in income, jobs, education, health, environmental quality, social connections, civic engagement and life satisfaction. These assessments are based on available selected data.
Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Colombia, the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is much less than the OECD average of USD 30 490 a year.
In terms of employment, about 58% of people aged 15 to 64 in Colombia have a paid job, below the OECD employment average of 66%. Some 71% of men are in paid work, compared with 45% of women. In Colombia, 24% of employees work very long hours in paid work, above the OECD average of 10%, with 28% of men working very long hours in paid work compared with 17% of women.
Good education and skills are important requisites for finding a job. In Colombia, 59% of adults aged 25-64 have completed upper secondary education, lower than the OECD average of 79%. However, completion varies between men and women, as 56% of men have successfully completed high school compared with 61% of women. In terms of the quality of the education system, the average student scored 406 in reading literacy, maths and science in the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This score is lower than the OECD average of 488. On average in Colombia, boys outperformed girls by 7 points. This gap is nearly the opposite of the OECD average where girls outperformed boys by 5 points.
In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in Colombia is around 77 years, four years lower than the OECD average of 81 years. Life expectancy for women is 80 years, compared with 74 for men. The level of atmospheric PM2.5 – tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs – is 22.6 micrograms per cubic meter, above the OECD average of 14 micrograms per cubic meter. In Colombia, 82% of people say they are satisfied with the quality of their water, lower than the OECD average of 84%.
Concerning the public sphere, there is a moderate sense of community and moderate levels of civic participation in Colombia, where 80% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in time of need, less than the OECD average of 91%. Voter turnout, a measure of citizens' participation in the political process, was 53% during recent elections, lower than the OECD average of 69%.
When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, Colombians gave it a 5.7 grade on average, lower than the OECD average of 6.7.
For more information on estimates and years of reference, see FAQ section and BLI database.
Topics
OECD in Action
OECD Economic Surveys: Colombia
OECD’s periodic surveys of the Colombian economy. Each edition surveys the major challenges faced by the country, evaluates the short-term outlook, and makes specific policy recommendations. Special chapters take a more detailed look at specific challenges. Extensive statistical information is included in charts and graphs.
Read this report