Country Factsheet
Colombia
This factsheet provides an overview of economic inclusion programs in Colombia. Economic inclusion programs are a bundle of coordinated, multidimensional interventions that support individuals, households, and communities in raising their incomes and building their assets. The data used for this factsheet comes from the Partnership for Economic Inclusion’s Landscape Survey 2023.
Country Facts
Region
Latin America & Caribbean
Population
51.52 million
Income Group
Upper middle income
FCV country (WB FY24 list)
No
Poverty Headcount (share of population below the poverty line)
National Poverty Line
39.30%
Multidimensional Poverty Index
4.85%
$2.15/day (2017 PPP)
9.40%
Programs
Number of economic inclusion programs
12Institutional delivery (lead agency)
- Nongovernment-led
- Government-led
Geographic area
- Rural only
- Urban/peri
- Mix (urban & rural)
Participants
Number of participants
77,938Number of people benefiting
249,402Participants served by government-led programs (%)
17.42%Main Program Objectives
Wage employment
Self-employment
Income diversification
Productivity
Food security
Market access
Women's empowerment
Social inclusion
Social cohesion
Financial inclusion
Social services
Climate resilience
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
Participant Profile
Targeted Poverty Segments
Poor
Extreme poor
Ultra-poor
Those above the poverty line
Doesn't target by poverty level
Targeted Population Groups
Women
Children
Youth
Older people
Persons with disabilities
Displacement-affected
Climate-affected
Marginalized
Conflict-affected
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
CORE PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Transfer
Business capital
Wage employment facilitation
Skills training
Coaching
Financial services facilitation
Market links
Climate resilience support
ECONOMIC INCLUSION PROGRAMS SURVEYED
| Program Name | Year program began | Lead Agencies | Program Description | No. of Current Participants | % Female Participants | Poverty Targeting | Digital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closing Gaps: Financial Inclusion for all in Colombia | 2022 | Humanity & Inclusion | The program seeks to improve financial inclusion for vulnerable migrants in Colombia, particularly women and people with disabilities, through digital innovation, networking, and advocacy. | 150 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Orinoquia Integrated Sustainable Landscapes | 2019 | World Wildlife Fund Colombia | The project aims to strengthen integrated landscape management and conservation of the Orinoquia wetlands and savanna lands by generating knowledge and mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem services in planning of conservation mosaics and landscape management. | Does not target by poverty level | Yes | ||
| Conectad@s - Colombia | 2023 | Fundación Capital | The program aims to enhance the resilience and empowerment of women micro-entrepreneurs to boost the competitiveness and sustainability of their businesses. | 500 | All (100% of participants are female) | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Entrepreneurship School with Gender Lens | 2021 | HIAS | The ESGL supports GBV survivors and at-risk women in developing business ideas and escaping violence. They receive business training, create business plans, and gain seed capital, while also learning about gender issues and GBV risk mitigation. | 82 | All (100% of participants are female) | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Entrepreneurship School with gender Lens 2.0 | 2023 | HIAS | ESGL 2.0 offers tailored support to female entrepreneurs in the labor market, helping them make their businesses more sustainable by integrating them into value chains and creating job opportunities for other vulnerable women. | 20 | All (100% of participants are female) | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Families in Their Land | 2011 | Prosperidad Social | The program offers specialized family support for households displaced by armed conflict, returnees, or those relocated to rural areas in Colombia, aiming to boost socio-economic stability through capacity building, asset strengthening, food security, housing improvement, and productive projects. | 3,828 | 76-99% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Local Integration and Livelihoods for Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons in Medellin. | 2019 | Coporación Ayuda Humanitaria (CAH) | The project implements the graduation model as a strategy to generate local and community integration processes and sustainable livelihoods, thereby enabling the socioeconomic integration of Venezuelan refugee and migrant families in Medellín and its metropolitan area. | 450 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Pathways of Opportunities, an Ultra Poverty Graduation Model | 2022 | Opportunity International's Asociación General Para Asesorar Pequeñas Empresas (AGAPE) | The program seeks to contribute to the economy and social empowerment of families in extreme poverty. | 250 | 76-99% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| IRACA Program | 2012 | Prosperidad Social | The program supports economically and socially vulnerable ethnic populations through three components: food security, agricultural surplus, and social and community strengthening. | 9,750 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Social Cohesion and Livelihoods Empowerment (SCALE) for Youth-led Durable Solutions | 2022 | Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) | The SCALE project promotes socioeconomic inclusion of young Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia and Ecuador by addressing employment and well-being barriers, focusing on job skills, entrepreneurship, and self-employment, and providing training, legal assistance, and access to capital to foster community integration. | 110 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| She Feeds the World | 2023 | CARE Colombia | The program empowers women producers by creating secure and resilient livelihoods to enhance food and nutrition security for themselves and their communities. | 2,000 | 51-75% of participants | Does not target by poverty level | Yes |
Only programs that have given their consent to share their program data are included in this table
The Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) is a global platform that unites non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, research institutions, funding partners, and the World Bank to support government adoption and scale up of economic inclusion programs that empower vulnerable people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.
| DNA: Does Not Apply; FY: Fiscal Year; FCV: Fragility, Conflict, and Violence; MPI: Multidimensional Poverty Index; NPL: National Poverty Line; N/A: Not available; WB: World Bank |