Environment at a Glance: Colombia
Table of contents
The OECD Environment at a Glance Country Notes are designed to support transparent, evidence-based information. They provide concise and descriptive overview of progress across major environmental issues, including climate, air quality, freshwater resources, waste and the circular economy, and biodiversity conservation. They feature selected environmental indicators, building on harmonised datasets available on OECD Data Explorer. Differences with national data sources can occur due to delays in data treatment and publication, or due to different national definitions and measurement methods. The text of this country profile is complementary to and has benefited from the OECD Environmental Performance Review of Colombia 2026. See the Reader’s guide to the Environment at a Glance Country Notes for more information.
Colombia is an upper middle-income country that has maintained steady economic growth over the past decade, except for a sharp decline in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Growth has been supported by a commodity price boom, significant economic policy reform and improved security. Despite this progress, income per person remains low and inequality high. Most of the population live in urban areas, particularly in the Andean and Caribbean regions.
Colombia is located in the northwest of South America, with some territories extending into Central America. It is the 25th largest country in the world and one of its mega-diverse countries. Much of its biodiversity is found in forests, which cover more than half of the national territory. Colombia also has abundant freshwater resources, but their spatial and temporal distribution varies significantly.
The country is endowed with abundant minerals, metals and fossil fuels. It is the largest coal producer in Latin America and one of the world’s largest coal exporters. Colombia holds large reserves of metallic and non-metallic minerals, mainly in the Andean, Caribbean and Pacific regions. Gold, ferronickel and emeralds are the most important metals and minerals in terms of export revenue. Agriculture and mining are key sectors of the economy.
The per person production-based (i.e. produced within the territory) and demand-based (or footprint, i.e. including emissions incorporated in imported goods) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have fluctuated but generally declined since 2012. They remain well below the OECD averages. Demand-based emissions are close to production-based ones.
Although Colombia has achieved relative decoupling of energy use in recent years, emissions have continued to increase since 2006, and their sectoral composition has remained largely unchanged. The majority of GHG emissions originate from the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector, primarily driven by deforestation. Energy combustion is the second largest contributor, mainly due to transport and electricity generation. Agriculture emissions, notably livestock, are also important.
Colombia continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels, despite having a relatively high share of renewables in total energy supply (TES). The country is one of the main coal exporters but the share of coal, peat and oil shale in TES is relatively small and has changed little since 2000, at 9.4% in 2025. Colombia is endowed with modest oil and gas resources. The shares of oil and natural gas in total energy supply have also evolved little since 2000, remaining at 41% and 21.4%, respectively, in 2025.
The share of renewables in TES increased to 28.1% in 2025. Their contribution to electricity generation, while fluctuating over time, remained high at 77.9%, driven mainly by hydropower. Together with biofuels and waste, hydropower accounts for the bulk of renewable energy production. However, limited storage capacity in hydropower infrastructure, combined with extreme precipitation and drought periods, leads to significant fluctuations in supply. During droughts, these shortfalls are typically offset by thermal generation, mainly from natural gas (OECD, 2023[1]) (OECD, 2026[2]).
Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), and carbon monoxide (CO) have risen significantly since 2010, while emissions of particulate matter (PM₁₀, PM₂.₅) and sulphur dioxide (SO₂) have remained broadly unchanged. Fuel combustion remains a major driver of air pollution in Colombia. SO₂ emissions originate primarily from energy industries, manufacturing and construction. Transport is among the largest contributors to NOₓ, NMVOCs, and CO emissions. Although some transport-related pollutants have decreased, overall emissions increased since 2015, largely driven by a sharp rise in CO emissions. These trends are most evident in urban centres, where deteriorating air quality is closely linked to the growing vehicle fleet and expanding industrial activity—both driven by demographic growth and rising consumption of goods and services (OECD, 2026[2]).
Emission intensities per unit of GDP of SOx, NOx, NMVOC and CO are much higher than the OECD average. By contrast, emission intensities per person are lower, except for SOx.
Despite recent progress, air pollution remains one of Colombia’s most urgent public health challenges. Population exposure to PM2.5 is much higher than the 2021 World Health Organisation threshold of 5 µg/m3, and regional variations are large: from 9 µg/m3 in Nariño to 17 µg/m3 in Antioquia (OECD, 2026[2]).
Municipal waste generation per person is lower than the OECD average but growing. Nearly all of this waste is landfilled.
Per person domestic material consumption and material footprint are low by OECD standards but, unlike most OECD countries, have not been declining during the past two decades. Material productivity, although increasing, is well below the OECD average. Due to the importance of the forestry and agricultural sectors, the bulk of materials is composed of biomass, followed by non-metallic minerals.
Colombia is listed as one of the world’s “megadiverse” countries, hosting close to 10% of the planet’s biodiversity. Worldwide, it ranks first in bird and orchid species diversity and second in plants, butterflies, freshwater fishes and amphibians. With 314 types of ecosystems, Colombia possesses a rich complexity of ecological, climatic, biological and ecosystem components. Colombia is also one of the world’s richest countries in aquatic resources, which is explained in part by the fact that the country’s large watersheds feed into the four massive sub-continental basins.
The country has several areas of high biological diversity in the Andean ecosystems, characterised by a significant variety of endemic species, followed by the Amazon rainforests and the humid ecosystems in the Chocó biogeographical area. However, a considerable part of these natural ecosystems has been transformed for agriculture, primarily in the Andean and Caribbean regions. It has been estimated that almost 95% of the country’s dry forests have been reduced from their original cover, including close to 70% of typically Andean forests. Ecosystem degradation is accelerating, driven by structural pressures such as land-use conflicts, agricultural and urban expansion, timber harvesting, extractive industries, infrastructure development, as well as invasive species (OECD, 2026[2]).
More than half of the mainland is covered with natural forests, which host more than half of the terrestrial animals and plants. One of the most threatened forest ecosystems is the dry forest (CBD, n.d.[3]).
Colombia’s shares of terrestrial and marine protected areas are higher than the OECD averages. Most terrestrial areas are strictly protected (IUCN categories I and II). Colombia already achieved the 2030 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) target of protecting 30% of coastal and marine areas, whereas more efforts are needed to reach the same target for terrestrial areas.
This section shows selected policy instruments based on data available for most OECD countries and does not provide a complete overview of countries’ policy mix to achieve their environment-related objectives. Interpretation should consider the country specific context.
The share of environmentally related tax revenue in GDP is well below the OECD average and declining in recent years, at a mere 0.6% in 2024. Its share in total tax revenues has also been declining, from 4.7% in 2010 to 3% in 2024. Like most OECD countries, the tax base is concentrated almost exclusively on energy and transport. Most receipts came from the excise duty on fuels and, to a lesser extent, vehicle taxes. The revenue from taxes on pollution and resource management, however, remain negligible.
In total, 13.4% of GHG emissions in Colombia were subject to a positive Net Effective Carbon Rate1 (ECR) in 2023. Explicit carbon prices in Colombia consist of carbon taxes, which cover 31.6% of GHG emissions in CO2 equivalent. Fuel excise taxes, an implicit form of carbon pricing, covered 19.9% of emissions in 2023. Direct fossil fuel subsidies cover 18.2% of emissions. About 0.1% of GHG emissions have a Net ECR above EUR 60 per tonne of CO2 equivalent, a mid-range estimate of current carbon costs. The largest emitting sector with on average positive Net ECRs is the industry sector, which accounts for 17% of the country's total GHG emissions. The Net ECR is zero or negative in the road transport, buildings and other GHG emissions sectors. Together, these sectors account for 78.7% of GHG emissions (OECD, 2024[4]).
The share of the environmentally related government research and development (R&D) budget, at 15.6% in 2020, is relatively high by OECD standards.
With less than 1 invention per million residents, Colombia is a small player in environmentally related innovation.
Colombia engages in international development co-operation with the ambition to address global crises, promote equity and social justice, achieve peace and regional integration, and promote strategic partnerships. Its approach is shaped by its dual role as both a beneficiary of official development assistance and a provider of South-South, triangular and circular co-operation. Its co-operation mainly focuses on Latin America and the Caribbean and is increasingly expanding to Asia-Pacific and Africa (OECD, 2026[5]).
References
[3] CBD (n.d.), Country profiles: Colombia, https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile?country=co.
[6] IDEAM et al. (2024), “Annex 1. Document from Colombia’s National Inventory of Atmospheric Emissions and Removals: Greenhouse gases (1990–2021), criterion pollutants and black carbon (2010–2021)”, Colombia’s First Biennial Transparency Report (BTR 1), Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, United Nations Development Programme; Fundación Natura.
[5] OECD (2026), Development Co-operation Profiles, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/development-co-operation-profiles_04b376d7-en/colombia_32c7d65f-en.html.
[2] OECD (2026), Environmental Performance Reviews: Colombia 2026, https://doi.org/10.1787/968398f7-en.
[4] OECD (2024), Pricing Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2024: Gearing Up to Bring Emissions Down, OECD Series on Carbon Pricing and Energy Taxation, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/b44c74e6-en.
[1] OECD (2023), OECD Inventory of Support Measures for Fossil Fuels: Country Notes, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/5a3efe65-en.
Further reading
OECD/ECLAC (2014), OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Colombia 2014, OECD Environmental Performance Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264208292-en
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← 1. Effective Carbon Rate (ECR) is the sum of fuel excise taxes, carbon taxes and tradeable permits that effectively put a price on carbon emissions. The Net ECR equals the ECR minus fossil fuel subsidies that decrease pre-tax fossil fuel prices.