Colombia’s unemployment rate rose to 8.0% in December 2025 from 7.0% in November. In the 13 major cities and metropolitan areas, the jobless rate stood at 7.8%, down from 9.0% in December 2024. The labor force participation rate edged slightly lower to 64.3% from 64.4% a year earlier, while the employment rate increased to 59.2% from 58.5% in December 2024, indicating modest gains in job creation despite the monthly rise in unemployment. source: Dane, Colombia

Unemployment Rate in Colombia increased to 8 percent in December from 7 percent in November of 2025. Unemployment Rate in Colombia averaged 11.51 percent from 2001 until 2025, reaching an all time high of 21.01 percent in May of 2020 and a record low of 7.00 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 February of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Colombia increased to 8 percent in December from 7 percent in November of 2025. Unemployment Rate in Colombia is expected to be 8.10 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 8.40 percent in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2025-12-31 03:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Nov 7.0% 8.2% 8.0%
2026-01-30 03:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Dec 8% 7% 8.30%
2026-02-27 03:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Jan 8%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employment Rate 59.19 60.17 percent Dec 2025
Labor Force Participation Rate 64.30 64.70 percent Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 2099.85 1858.58 Thousand Dec 2025
Unemployment Rate 8.00 7.00 percent Dec 2025


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
8.00 7.00 21.01 7.00 2001 - 2025 percent Monthly

News Stream
Colombia Unemployment Rises in December
Colombia’s unemployment rate rose to 8.0% in December 2025 from 7.0% in November. In the 13 major cities and metropolitan areas, the jobless rate stood at 7.8%, down from 9.0% in December 2024. The labor force participation rate edged slightly lower to 64.3% from 64.4% a year earlier, while the employment rate increased to 59.2% from 58.5% in December 2024, indicating modest gains in job creation despite the monthly rise in unemployment.
2026-01-30
Colombia Unemployment Hits Record Low
Colombia’s unemployment rate fell to 7.0% in November 2025 from 8.2% in October, the lowest level in the historical series. The number of unemployed declined by 241,000 year-on-year, with the sharpest drops in rural areas (-31.0%) and in the 10 largest cities (-16.9%). The gender gap narrowed to a record-low 3.5 percentage points, with unemployment at 5.5% for men and 9.1% for women. In the September-November rolling quarter, the highest unemployment rates were recorded in Quibdó (21.8%), Cartagena (12.6%), and Riohacha (11.7%), while the lowest were seen in Villavicencio (6.8%), Bogotá (7.0%), and the Manizales metropolitan area (7.2%).
2025-12-31
Colombia Jobless Rate at 8.2% in October
Colombia’s unemployment rate fell to 8.2% in October 2025, compared to 9.1% a year earlier, remaining at the lowest level since November 2024. Joblessness stood at 6.2% for men and 10.9% for women. Compared with October 2024, the number of unemployed people fell by 174,000, while the employed population rose by 977,000, an increase of 4.2%. The largest employment gains came from agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and fishing (347,000), accommodation and food services (279,000), and transportation and storage (231,000). For the August–October period, the unemployment rate averaged 8.3%.
2025-11-28