Colombia Unemployment Rate Rises in August

Colombia’s unemployment rate rose to 9.4% in August 2026 from 8.1% in July. In the 13 cities and metropolitan areas, the unemployment rate increased to 9.1% from 8.5%. The rate stood at 11.6% among women and 7.7% among men. For the June-August 2026 moving quarter, the highest unemployment rates among the 23 cities and metropolitan areas were recorded in Quibdó (23.8%), Cartagena (14.4%), and Sincelejo (12.9%). The lowest rates were reported in Bucaramanga (7.3%), Medellín (7.5%), and Bogotá (7.9%).

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.

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%.