Statistics on Colombia
Population
Colombia’s total population was 40.8 million in 1998, of which 74.1% was urban. The urban population doubled from 15.4 million to 30.2 million in just 13 years.
Incomes
At 20.5% the official rate of unemployment is the highest in Latin America (real rate is 25% plus). The average GDP per capita was $2,392 in 1998. But the richest 10% took 46.9% of all income.
Economy
Stockmarket values increased from $1.4 billion in 1990 to $19.5 billion in 1997.
Colombia’s external debt more than doubled from US $14.2 billion in 1985 to $33.3 billion in 1998.
Servicing the foreign debt went up from 16% of export earnings in 1980 to 34.6% in 1996.
Foreign Direct Investment leapt up from 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1980 to 18.7% in 1996.
Between 1980 and 1996, fuel exports, principally oil, increased from 3% to 34% of total exports.
Public Expenditure
Total government expenditure was 14.5% of GDP in 1995, it was 42% in the UK that year.
In 1996 pensions in the UK constituted 10.2% of GDP. In Colombia they constituted just 0.9% of GDP.
Total social service expenditure in UK was 22.8% of GDP, in Colombia it was 6.1% of GDP.
Homicides
In 1994 there were 78.6 recorded homicides per 100,000 people. The second highest recorded homicide rate in the world is Jamaica at 29.8 homicides per 100,000 people.
Bio-diversity
Colombia is the country with the most animal and bird species (2,054) in the world.
