Piedad Urdinola, director of Dane, presented preliminary results from the 2024 National Urban Economic Census, identifying around two million economic units in Colombia's urban areas. This census, the first in 34 years, highlights concentration in commerce and services, as well as regional gaps. The data will update public policies and statistical frameworks.
At the “Foro LR: La gran transformación; el poder de las capitales” forum, Piedad Urdinola, director of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane), shared initial findings from the 2024 National Urban Economic Census. This operation, conducted in 1,121 urban areas across 1,103 municipalities and 18 non-municipalized areas, recorded 2,005,613 economic units, covering 98.2% of urban blocks. An economic unit is defined as any natural or legal person engaged in production, commercialization, or service activities in fixed, semi-fixed establishments, homes, or mobile stalls.
Urdinola explained: “We have two million economic units between natural and legal persons.” Of these, 53.1% (1,064,505) are dedicated to commerce, 32.3% (648,375) to services, 5.2% (105,148) to industry, and 1.1% to transportation. Around 85% concentrate in commerce and services, indicating a tertiary economy in urban zones. Additionally, 219,042 street vendors were identified, a key informal sector indicator.
Geographically, Bogotá leads with 360,568 units (18% of the total), followed by Medellín with 118,679, Cali with 99,208, and Bucaramanga with 52,065, according to the presentation. Complementary sources report variations, such as 43,514 for Bucaramanga and 52,065 for Barranquilla. Bogotá, Antioquia, and Valle del Cauca hold 30% nationally, while departments like Sucre, Quindío, and La Guajira have less than 1%. There are 38.5 units per 1,000 inhabitants.
The census includes an ethnic component: of 95,107 units as natural persons, 68.7% identify as black, mulatto, Afro-descendant, or Afro-Colombian; 29.3% as indigenous; 1.2% as Raizal; 0.6% as Palenquero de San Basilio; and 0.2% as Gypsy.
Juan José Ospina, technical submanager of the Bank of the Republic, stated: “For the first time in 34 years, the country has a precise photograph of its productive fabric and how companies operate in the regions. This will allow designing public policies.” These data will update business surveys and support municipal development. The next urban census is set for 2034, followed by agricultural in 2027 and mining in 2028.
