Colombia (Republic of Colombia)

Colombia Republic of Colombia
Status	Independent State
Capital	Bogota
Land Area	1 109 500km21
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	47.6m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	74.23yrs (2017)3
GNI	$12 762 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	CO, COL, 1705
Internet Domain	.co6
Currency	Peso (COP)7
Telephone	+578

1. Overview
2. Colombia National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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1. Overview

#ecuador #venezuela

“Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A nearly five-decade long conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups, principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) heavily funded by the drug trade, escalated during the 1990s. More than 31,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia as a formal organization had ceased to function. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization, emerging criminal groups arose, whose members include some former paramilitaries. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, but continue attacks against civilians. Large areas of the countryside are under guerrilla influence or are contested by security forces. In October 2012, the Colombian Government started formal peace negotiations with the FARC aimed at reaching a definitive bilateral ceasefire and incorporating demobilized FARC members into mainstream society and politics. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug related security challenges, Colombia maintains relatively strong democratic institutions characterized by peaceful, transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Soaring Andean summits, unspoiled Caribbean coast, Amazon jungle, archaeological ruins and colonial communities. Colombia boasts all of South America´s allure and more. Forget everything you´ve ever heard about Colombia - for decades demonized, today Colombia is a safe, affordable, accessible and utterly thrilling destination.

Whatever you want, you´ll find it here. Whether that´s floating down Amazonian backwaters, wandering through perfectly preserved colonial towns, diving pristine Caribbean reefs or galloping on horseback along mountain ridges overlooking ancient indigenous burial sites, it´s all in Colombia. Just to seal the deal, Colombians are friendly, welcoming and helpful people - they receive tourists like long-lost brothers and sisters.

Security improvements have driven the continent´s longest-running civil conflict into all but the most remote and inaccessible areas of the country, where travelers have no reason to visit. And best of all many Colombians, for years caged in their cities, can now enjoy their beautiful country, too.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Colombia National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
92	St Lucia	92
93	Mongolia	92
94	Jamaica	94
95	Colombia	95
96	Dominica	96
97	Suriname	97
98	Tunisia	97
99	Dominican Rep.	99
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
93	Bolivia	54.2
94	Azerbaijan	54.0
95	Oman	54.0
96	Colombia	53.9
97	Nepal	53.8
98	Morocco	53.7
99	Russia	53.6
100	Kazakhstan	53.4
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#birth_control #Colombia #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
112	Vietnam	18.3
113	Tunisia	18.6
114	Azerbaijan	18.7
115	Colombia	18.8
116	Antigua & Barbuda	19.0
117	St Vincent & Grenadines	19.7
118	Seychelles	19.8
119	St Lucia	19.9
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
114	Denmark	4.7%
115	Yemen	4.7%
116	Hungary	4.6%
117	Colombia	4.6%
118	Sierra Leone	4.6%
119	Philippines	4.6%
120	Egypt	4.4%
121	Germany	4.3%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
48	Estonia	1.71
49	UAE	1.70
50	Canada	1.69
51	Colombia	2.31
52	Maldives	1.67
53	Luxembourg	1.67
54	Turkmenistan	2.33
55	Trinidad & Tobago	1.63
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
180	Egypt	0.3%
181	Iraq	0.3%
182	Somalia	0.2%
183	Colombia	0.2%
184	Madagascar	0.2%
185	Myanmar (Burma)	0.2%
186	N. Korea	0.2%
187	Morocco	0.2%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
84	Latvia	74.34
85	Bulgaria	74.32
86	Morocco	74.31
87	Colombia	74.23
88	Jordan	74.18
89	St Kitts & Nevis	73.98
90	Samoa	73.67
91	Dominican Rep.	73.65
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
25	Myanmar (Burma)	48.7m
26	S. Korea	48.6m
27	Tanzania	47.7m
28	Colombia	47.6m
29	Spain	46.8m
30	Ukraine	44.9m
31	Kenya	42.7m
32	Argentina	41.1m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Colombia's population is predicted to rise to 56.86 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 2.31. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#Colombia #equality #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

Colombia is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Colombia does better than average when it comes to LGBT equality₁₈, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₉, eliminating modern slavery₂₀ (but high for The Americas) and in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁ (but one of the worst in The Americas). Since 2015 it has removed many artificial barriers to LGBT equality in areas of marriage and adoption₂₉; it is just the 4th country in South America to legalize same-sex marriage₃₀. Colombia does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average when it comes to fighting anti-semitic opinions₂₂ (amongst the highest in The Americas), opposing gender inequality₂₃, fighting corruption₂₄, the year from which women could participate in democracy₂₅, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₆ (amongst the worst in The Americas) and in supporting press freedom₂₇ (one of the worst in The Americas). And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 for its Global Peace Index rating₂₈ (the highest in The Americas). Human rights defenders, trade unionists, journalists, indigenous and Afro-Colombian leaders, and other community activists face death threats and violence, mostly from guerrillas and successor groups. Perpetrators of these abuses are rarely held accountable"₂₉

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Colombia

5. Peace Versus Instability

#Colombia #extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
12	Tanzania	12
13	Cameroon	13
14	Singapore	14
15	Colombia	15
16	Costa Rica	16
17	Hungary	17
18	Japan	18
19	Chile	19
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
118	Lesotho	118
119	Oman	119
120	Egypt	120
121	Colombia	121
122	Honduras	122
123	Guinea	123
124	Congo, (Brazzaville)	124
125	Swaziland	125
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)28
Pos.		Lower is better28
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
140	Georgia	2.54
141	India	2.55
142	Yemen	2.60
143	Colombia	2.63
144	Chad	2.67
145	Nigeria	2.80
146	Syria	2.83
147	Libya	2.83
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₈. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₈ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₈.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)32
Pos.		Lower is better Score32
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
129	USA	5.69
130	Kenya	5.76
131	Sudan	5.81
132	Colombia	5.91
133	Thailand	6.03
134	S. Sudan	6.32
135	Turkey	6.53
136	Cameroon	6.62
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

6. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Religiosity (2009)33
Pos.		Lower is better %33
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
49	Georgia	81
50	Turkey	82
51	Ecuador	82
52	Colombia	83
53	El Salvador	83
54	Romania	84
55	Honduras	84
56	Peru	84
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)34
Pos.		Higher is better %34
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
73	Paraguay	1
74	Nicaragua	1
75	Bolivia	1
76	Colombia	1
77	Costa Rica	1
78	Honduras	1
79	Brazil	1
80	Ecuador	1
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₅:

Christian	92.5%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.8%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	6.6%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states simply: Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%₃₆.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#Colombia #internet #it_security #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)37
Pos.		Higher is better37
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
84	Venezuela	58%
85	Seychelles	58%
86	Morocco	58%
87	Colombia	57%
88	Costa Rica	56%
89	Kazakhstan	56%
90	US Virgin Islands	54%
91	Serbia	54%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)38
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio38
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
99	Cape Verde	0.0
100	Nigeria	0.0
101	Uzbekistan	0.0
102	Colombia	0.0
103	Ghana	0.0
104	Yemen	0.0
105	Laos	0.0
106	Malta	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

IT Security (2013)39
Pos.		Lower is better39
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
4	Hong Kong	0.12
5	Mexico	0.16
6	Israel	0.20
7	Colombia	0.22
8	S. Africa	0.22
9	Japan	0.22
10	Philippines	0.24
11	Czechia	0.24
12	Argentina	0.27
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #Colombia #genetics #health #mental_health #obesity #organ_donation #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #UK

Colombia has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Colombia does better than average for its suicide rate₄₀, its smoking rate₄₁ and in its alcohol consumption rate₄₂. Colombia does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average for number of organ donors₄₃, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₁, its adolescent birth rate₂₃ (still low for The Americas), its immunizations take-up₄₄ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₄₅. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 40 years.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)42
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita42
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
88	Cape Verde	5.7
89	Liberia	5.8
90	Haiti	5.8
91	Colombia	5.8
92	Nauru	6.0
93	Cuba	6.1
94	Kyrgyzstan	6.2
95	Guyana	6.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₄₆ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₄₇ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₄₈ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₄₉. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₅₀. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Organ Donors (At Death) (2017)43
Pos.		Higher is better pmp43
1	Spain	46.9051
2	Portugal	34.0151
3	Belgium	33.6251
	...
39	Chile	10.0051
40	S. Korea	9.95
41	Germany	9.7052
42	Colombia	8.9051
43	Jordan	6.91
44	Costa Rica	6.70
45	Bulgaria	6.01
46	Hong Kong	6.00
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
95	Bosnia & Herzegovina	95
96	Namibia	96
97	Guyana	97
98	Colombia	98
99	Vietnam	99
100	Lesotho	100
101	Tanzania	101
102	Equatorial Guinea	102
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)45
Pos.		Lower is better %45
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
128	Luxembourg	58.7
129	Panama	58.8
130	Suriname	58.9
131	Colombia	59.0
132	Cyprus	59.1
133	Iceland	59.1
134	Montenegro	59.4
135	Belarus	59.4
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₅₃. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₄. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₄ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₅ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₆. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₅₇. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₅₈.

Smoking Rates (2014)41
Pos.		Lower is better41
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
64	Barbados	333
65	St Vincent & Grenadines	338
66	Hong Kong	345
67	Colombia	359
68	Antigua & Barbuda	362
69	Yemen	388
70	S. Sudan	398
71	Belize	400
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)40
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k40
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
29	Cyprus	9.1
30	Uzbekistan	9.3
31	Brazil	9.7
32	Colombia	9.9
33	Panama	10.9
34	Nicaragua	11.6
35	Costa Rica	12.1
36	Italy	12.8
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. Children's Health

#Colombia #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)23
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100023
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
107	Solomon Islands	48.4
108	Peru	49.1
109	Indonesia	49.6
110	Colombia	50.2
111	St Vincent & Grenadines	51.0
112	Cambodia	51.6
113	Egypt	51.9
114	St Lucia	53.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)44
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %44
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
126	Honduras	88.8
127	Kenya	88.5
128	Costa Rica	88.5
129	Colombia	88.4
130	Kiribati	88.4
131	Netherlands	88.1
132	Paraguay	88.1
133	Bosnia & Herzegovina	88.0
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries