Education at a Glance 2025: Colombia
Table of contents
This country note provides an overview of the key characteristics of the education system in Colombia based on data from Education at a Glance 2025. In line with this year’s thematic focus, it emphasises tertiary education while also covering other parts of the education system. The data in this note are provided for the latest available year. Readers interested in the reference years for the data should refer to the corresponding tables in Education at a Glance 2025.
The share of young adults (25-34 year-olds) without upper secondary attainment continues to decline across the OECD, reaching an average of 13%. This trend also continues in Colombia, where the share fell from 27% to 17% between 2019 and 2024.
Individuals with greater educational attainment generally face a lower risk of unemployment and earn higher wages. Completing upper secondary education is particularly important in reducing the risk of unemployment. On average across the OECD, 12.9% of economically active young adults (25-34 year-olds) without an upper secondary qualification are unemployed, compared to 6.9% of those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment. Those who go on to gain a tertiary qualification see a relatively smaller further reduction in unemployment, with 4.9% of tertiary-educated young adults unemployed on average across the OECD. This pattern is different in Colombia: 10.3% of young adults without an upper secondary qualification are unemployed, compared to 12.1% of those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment and 11.2% of those with tertiary attainment (Figure 1).
In per cent
For data, see OECD (2025) Education at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en, Table A3.5.
The average wage gap between individuals (25-64 year-olds) with and without upper secondary educational attainment is relatively modest across OECD countries. On average across the OECD, workers without upper secondary qualifications earn on average 17% less than those who have completed upper secondary education, while workers with tertiary attainment earn 54% more than those with upper secondary attainment. In Colombia, the wage gap between workers with and without upper secondary attainment is larger than the OECD average, at 30%. The gap between those with upper secondary and tertiary attainment is also larger than the OECD average, at 150%. This suggests a generally more dispersed wage distribution by educational attainment in Colombia, which may indicate higher relative returns to education but also a higher level of income inequality compared to the OECD average.
Education systems must adapt to changes in the number of children by expanding or reducing provision accordingly. In many countries, the population of children aged 0-4 changed significantly between 2013 and 2023 and is projected to change further by 2033. Colombia experienced a decline of 2% in the number of 0-4 year-olds, and is projected to see a decline of 13% between 2023 and 2033.
The share of students in lower secondary education who are at least two years older than the expected age for their grade varies widely across OECD countries, ranging from virtually none in some countries to over 10% in others. In Colombia, the share is at the upper end of the OECD distribution in 2023, at 20%.
Bachelor’s or equivalent programmes are the main entry point into tertiary education in most OECD countries, with an average of 78% of those starting tertiary education for the first time enrolling in such programmes. In Colombia, the share is lower at 63%.
Women make up the majority of first-time entrants to tertiary education in most OECD countries. In Colombia, they accounted for 52% of first-time entrants in 2023, a share which is unchanged since 2013. Across the OECD, women make up 54% of new entrants on average, the same share as in 2013.
Across the OECD, the two most popular broad fields of study are science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and business, administration, and law, each accounting for 23% of graduates from bachelor’s or equivalent programmes. They are closely followed by the broad field of arts and humanities, social sciences, journalism and information, at 22% of graduates. In Colombia, 24% of bachelor’s degree students graduate from a STEM field, 37% from business, administration and law, and 18% from arts and humanities, social sciences, journalism and information.
Completion rates reflect the share of new entrants to bachelor’s programmes who successfully obtain a tertiary degree within specified timeframes. These rates remain low in most OECD countries. In Colombia, 16% of new entrants complete their bachelor’s degree within the theoretical duration of the programme. This rises to 32% one year after the expected end date, and to 44% three years after. In comparison, the OECD average completion rate is 43% within the theoretical duration, increasing to 59% after an additional year and 70% after three years (Figure 2).
In per cent
For data, see OECD (2025) Education at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en, Table B5.1.
In all countries, women starting bachelor’s programmes are more likely than their male peers to successfully complete their tertiary studies within the three years after the theoretical end of their programme. In Colombia, the gender gap is 13 percentage points (49% for women compared to 37% for men), which is similar to the OECD average of 12 percentage points.
Students who do not complete their tertiary education may drop out at various stages. High dropout rates in the first year can signal a mismatch between student expectations and the content or demands of their programmes, possibly reflecting a lack of career guidance for prospective students or insufficient support for new entrants. In Colombia, the share of first-time entrants in bachelor’s programmes who drop out after the first year is higher than the OECD average, at 22% (compared to 13%).
The 2023 completion rate data refers to students whose programme was expected to end in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although some countries saw notable increases in completion rates during the pandemic, probably due to policies aimed at facilitating graduation, others experienced moderate declines. In Colombia, completion rates of new entrants to bachelor’s programmes during the pandemic increased slightly, by 4 percentage points compared to three years earlier (from 12% to 16%).
International student mobility in tertiary education continues to rise across the OECD, with some countries experiencing substantial growth in the share of international students between 2018 and 2023. On average, 7.4% of all tertiary students across the OECD were international or foreign students, compared to 6% in 2018. Colombia saw a modest increase, with the share rising from 0.2% to 0.3% (Figure 3).
In per cent
For data, see OECD (2025) Education at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en, Table B4.3.
The amount of compulsory instruction time affects teacher salary costs as it influences the number of teachers needed, combined with other factors such as class size and teaching time of teachers. In Colombia, students receive 1 000 hours of compulsory instruction per year in primary education and 1 200 hours in lower secondary education. This is above the OECD average of 804 hours in primary and 909 hours in lower secondary education.
School holidays in primary education last 10.2 weeks per year in Colombia (all breaks combined), compared to 13.5 weeks across the OECD.
Across the OECD, the average class size at primary level has not changed since 2013, at 20.6 students. In Colombia, the average class size in primary education in 2023 was 22.2 students, down by 0.3 since 2013.
For more information on Education at a Glance 2025 and to access the full set of indicators, see: https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en.
For more information on the methodology used during the data collection for each indicator, the references to the sources and the specific notes for each country, see Education at a Glance 2025: Sources, Methodologies and Technical Notes, https://doi.org/10.1787/fcfaf2d1-en.
For general information on the methodology, please refer to the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304444-en.
Updated data can be found on line at http://data-explorer.oecd.org/ and by following the StatLinks in the publication.
Explore, compare and visualise more data and analysis using the Education GPS: https://gpseducation.oecd.org/.
Questions can be directed to the Education at a Glance team at the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills: EDU.EAG@oecd.org.
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.
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