Colombia’s unemployment rate edged up to 8.1% in July 2026 from 8.0% in June. In the 13 cities and metropolitan areas, the rate stood at 8.5%. The unemployment rate was 10.1% among women and 6.7% among men, resulting in a gender gap of 3.4 percentage points. The highest unemployment rates were recorded in Quibdó (23.0%), Cartagena (13.6%), and Sincelejo (13.0%), while the lowest were reported in Medellín (7.0%), Bucaramanga A.M. (7.2%), and Pereira A.M. (7.5%). Meanwhile, the number of unemployed people nationwide fell by 160,000 year-on-year, representing a 6.9% decline. source: Dane, Colombia

Unemployment Rate in Colombia increased to 8.10 percent in July from 8 percent in June of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Colombia averaged 11.45 percent from 2001 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 21.01 percent in May of 2020 and a record low of 7 percent in November of 2025. This page provides the latest reported value for - Colombia Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Colombia Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on August of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Colombia increased to 8.10 percent in July from 8 percent in June of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Colombia is expected to be 8.40 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Colombia Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 8.80 percent in 2027 and 8.50 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-07-31 03:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Jun 8% 8% 8.1% 8.2%
2026-08-31 03:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Jul 8.1% 8% 8.1%
2026-09-30 03:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Aug 8.1%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employment Rate 59.36 59.73 percent Jun 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 64.50 64.90 percent Jun 2026
Unemployed Persons 2134.64 2143.66 Thousand Jun 2026
Unemployment Rate 8.10 8.00 percent Jul 2026


Colombia Unemployment Rate
In Colombia, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
8.10 8.00 21.01 7.00 2001 - 2026 percent Monthly

News Stream
Colombia Jobless Rate Rises Slightly in July
Colombia’s unemployment rate edged up to 8.1% in July 2026 from 8.0% in June. In the 13 cities and metropolitan areas, the rate stood at 8.5%. The unemployment rate was 10.1% among women and 6.7% among men, resulting in a gender gap of 3.4 percentage points. The highest unemployment rates were recorded in Quibdó (23.0%), Cartagena (13.6%), and Sincelejo (13.0%), while the lowest were reported in Medellín (7.0%), Bucaramanga A.M. (7.2%), and Pereira A.M. (7.5%). Meanwhile, the number of unemployed people nationwide fell by 160,000 year-on-year, representing a 6.9% decline.
2026-08-31
Colombia Unemployment Rate Holds at 8%
Colombia's unemployment rate held steady at 8% in June 2026, unchanged from the previous month and slightly below market expectations of 8.1%. The unemployment rate stood at 9.9% for women and 6.6% for men, resulting in a gender gap of 3.3 percentage points. Across the country's 13 major metropolitan areas, the unemployment rate was 8.3%. The highest jobless rates were recorded in Quibdó (23.3%), Cartagena (13.2%), and Ibagué (12.8%), while Medellín Metropolitan Area (7.1%), Pereira Metropolitan Area (7.2%), and Villavicencio (7.9%) posted the lowest rates. The national employment rate stood at 59.4%. In the April-June 2026 period, the average unemployment rate was 8.3%.
2026-07-31
Colombia Jobless Rate Drops in May
Colombia’s unemployment rate fell to 8.0% in May 2026 from 8.8% in the previous month, remaining below market expectations of 8.9% and marking the lowest reading for the month of May since 2001. The unemployment rate for women stood at 9.9%, while the rate for men was 6.6%, resulting in a gender gap of 3.3 percentage points. The number of unemployed people declined by 203,000 from a year earlier. The sharpest drop was recorded in rural areas and small population centers, where unemployment fell 30.5%, followed by the 13 main cities and metropolitan areas, where it declined 4.4%. For the rolling March–May 2026 period, the national unemployment rate averaged 8.5%.
2026-06-30