TomTom's 2025 index shows Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla among the world's top 20 most congested cities, with Bogotá ranking seventh. The Colombian capital has an average speed of 18.9 km/h and 117 hours lost annually to traffic. This trend marks a 25% rise in global congestion compared to 2024.
The annual TomTom Traffic Index, produced by the Dutch company TomTom founded in 1991 and specializing in GPS navigation and digital mapping, examined data from 492 cities based on 3.65 trillion kilometers driven by users. In 2025, global vehicle congestion rose to 25%, up five percentage points from 20% in 2024.
Bogotá ranks seventh for worst congestion levels. Data shows an average speed of 18.9 km/h, 117 hours lost yearly to traffic, and just 4.7 kilometers covered in 15 minutes during peak hours. José Stalin Rojas, director of the Logistics and Mobility Observatory at Universidad Nacional, attributes this mainly to around 1,200 simultaneous construction sites in the city, including the Bogotá Metro and the TransMilenio trunk line on Avenida 68. "Congestion affects quality of life. Of 24 hours in a day, eight are for sleep, eight more for work or study, and the rest for personal or family matters. Congestion forces people to wake up very early, unable to drop their children at school themselves, for example, to arrive on time," Rojas explained.
Medellín is eleventh, with an average speed of 20.7 km/h, 153 hours lost annually, and 4.4 kilometers in 15 peak minutes. The city is progressing on projects like the Metro along Route 80 to reduce reliance on private vehicles.
Cali loses 138 hours a year to jams, at 20.6 km/h, while its commuter train project is stalled due to unapproved future funding amid the Electoral Guarantees Law. Barranquilla records 16.4 km/h, 126 hours lost, and 5.2 kilometers in 15 minutes.
Ralf-Peter Schäfer, TomTom's vice president of Traffic and Travel Information, stated: “As cities grow and adapt, we must address the multiple challenges driving rising vehicle congestion. This trend demands urgent measures for smarter mobility planning, investments in public and shared transport, better traffic management technologies, and coordinated policies.”
