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. Politics and Freedom
5. Gender Equality
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
10. Links

---

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	84.2
2	Sweden	83.7
3	Finland	83.5
	...
83	Turkmenistan	54.5
84	Jordan	54.4
85	Ukraine	54.3
86	Colombia	54.2
87	Kuwait	54.2
88	Kyrgyzstan	54.2
89	Ecuador	54.1
90	Oman	53.7
	World Avg	54.1
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

#Colombia #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #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	Korea, N.	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.

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	Korea, N.	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.		The Overpopulation of the Earth17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
25	Myanmar (Burma)	48.7m
26	Korea, S.	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 Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Politics and Freedom

#antisemitism #burundi #Colombia #corruption #eritrea #france #freedom #human_development #human_rights #indonesia #mass_media #peace #politics #slavery

Anti-Semite Opinions (2014)18
Pos.		Lower is better %18
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
68	S. Africa	38
69	Belarus	38
70	Peru	38
71	Colombia	41
72	Hungary	41
73	Dominican Rep.	41
74	Serbia	42
75	Bulgaria	44
	World Avg	36.8
q=101.

Corruption (2012-2016)19
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score19
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
93	Morocco	37.2
94	Peru	37.0
95	Benin	36.8
96	Colombia	36.6
97	Thailand	36.6
98	Maldives	36.0
99	Philippines	35.6
100	Algeria	35.2
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Global Peace Index (2012)20
Pos.		Lower is better20
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.

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)21
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties21
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
49	Panama	20
50	New Zealand	20
51	Uganda	19
52	Colombia	19
53	Switzerland	19
54	UK	19
55	Venezuela	19
56	Lesotho	19
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)22
Pos.		Lower is better Rank22
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
110	Ivory Coast	110
111	Ukraine	111
112	Senegal	111
113	Colombia	111
114	Kuwait	111
115	Malaysia	115
116	Russia	115
117	Qatar	117
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Press Freedom (2013)23
Pos.		Lower is better23
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
125	Ukraine	3679
126	Honduras	3692
127	Afghanistan	3736
128	Colombia	3748
129	Angola	3780
130	Libya	3786
131	Burundi	3802
132	Zimbabwe	3812
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Slavery (2018)24
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims24
1	Japan	0.03
2	Canada	0.05
3	Taiwan	0.05
	...
51	Guyana	0.26
52	Jamaica	0.26
53	Mexico	0.27
54	Colombia	0.27
55	Algeria	0.27
56	Barbados	0.27
57	China	0.28
58	S. Africa	0.28
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₅. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₆. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₇. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₈.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₉. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₃₀. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₃₁. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₄, Eritrea₂₄, Indonesia₃₂) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₃₃.

Colombia practices conscription, which involves a mandatory period of service in the military. But the Walk Free Foundation reports that this sometimes becomes slave labour as some 'concscripts' are assigned to lengthy and arduous work which is clearly non-military in nature₃₄ such as public infrastructure and civil construction work.

5. Gender Equality

#Colombia #gender #misogyny #politics #women

Gender Inequality (2015)35
Pos.		Lower is better35
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
86	Peru	0.39
87	Sri Lanka	0.39
88	Ecuador	0.39
89	Colombia	0.39
90	S. Africa	0.39
91	Kyrgyzstan	0.39
92	Brazil	0.41
93	Jamaica	0.42
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Year Women Can Vote36
Pos.		Lower is better Year36
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
96	Mexico	1953
97	Bhutan	1953
98	Syria	1953
99	Colombia	1954
100	Belize	1954
101	Ghana	1954
102	Nicaragua	1955
103	Ethiopia	1955
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchialism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

The 1950s saw a late rush of 43 countries, including Colombia and many developing nations, move to cease preventing women from voting. Colombia has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

6. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2009)37
Pos.		Lower is better %37
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)38
Pos.		Higher is better38
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 below₃₉:

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%₄₀.

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)41
Pos.		Higher is better41
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)42
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio42
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)43
Pos.		Lower is better43
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 #health #mental_health #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)35
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100035
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	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.

Alcohol Consumption (2010)44
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita44
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
91	Swaziland	5.7
92	Bolivia	5.9
93	Ivory Coast	6.0
94	Colombia	6.2
95	Haiti	6.4
96	Cook Islands	6.4
97	Lesotho	6.5
98	Vietnam	6.6
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)45
Pos.		Lower is better Rank45
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.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)46
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %46
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.

Smoking Rates (2014)47
Pos.		Lower is better47
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)48
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k48
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. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries