Colombia: Coverage of social protection and labor programs (% of population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Colombia's coverage of social protection and labor programs (% of population) fell 0.47 percentage points on 2021 (from 41.46% to 40.98%).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2021), the average change was −3.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 10.53 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 9.65 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 29.42 percentage points in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2022 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 15% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2022, Colombia had the 11th highest value of the 11 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Colombia in the 2022 ranking

• Paraguay — 8th of 11: 54.44%
• Brazil — 9th of 11: 52.26%
• Ecuador — 10th of 11: 41.09%

What this measures

Coverage of social protection and labor programs (SPL) shows the percentage of population participating in social insurance, social safety net, and unemployment benefits and active labor market programs. Estimates include both direct and indirect beneficiaries.

Limitations: When interpreting ASPIRE performance indicators based on household surveys, it is important to note that the extent to which information on specific transfers and programs is captured in the household surveys can vary a lot across countries. Moreover, household surveys do not capture the universe of social protection programs in the country, in best practice cases just the largest programs. As a consequence, ASPIRE indicators are not fully comparable across program categories and countries; however, they provide approximate measures of social protection systems performance.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 12 values

Coverage of social protection and labor programs (% of population) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 56.63% (2022)
• Bolivia — 96.94% (2021)
• Brazil — 52.26% (2022)
• Costa Rica — 70.9% (2022)
• Dominican Republic — 51.07% (2021)
• Ecuador — 41.09% (2022)
• El Salvador — 88.75% (2022)
• Honduras — 32.18% (2019)
• Panama

More social protection & labor data for Colombia

• Net migration — 129,139 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 1,464 (2025)
• Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 8.43% (2025)
• Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 10.66% (2025)
• Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 6.78% (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 79,669 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 52.31% (2025)
• Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Colombia's coverage of social protection and labor programs (% of population)?

40.98% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2010?

It is down 11.32 percentage points from 52.3% in 2010. The highest value was 65.68% in 2014 and the lowest 31.54% in 2019.

How does Colombia rank?

11th highest of 11 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in coverage of social protection and labor programs (% of population) unusual for Colombia?

In 2022, Colombia's coverage of social protection and labor programs (% of population) fell 0.47 percentage points on 2021 (from 41.46% to 40.98%). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2021), the average change was −3.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 10.53 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator per_allsp.cov_pop_tot, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection - Indicators of Resilience and Equity, World Bank (WB), uri: datatopics.worldbank.org/aspire/, note: Data are based on national representative household surveys. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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