Moving to Colombia

Colombia is a Spanish-speaking Latin-American republic

Colombia lies in South America, and shares borders with Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

It’s a big country with a population of roughly 50 million and a diverse range of climate zones. You can find tropical rain forests, deserts, mountain climates, savannas and steppes.

Colombia history

This country, like all of its neighbors, is a former colony of Spain, which means Spanish is the official language.

This is great news, because Spanish is easy to learn, and if you master it, you get access to almost all of the other Latin-American countries.

Colombia is pretty well-known across the West for its problems with drug cartels and crime.

In the last century, armed conflict and political violence were indeed running rampant throughout the country and its shabby reputation was well-earned.

However, since the early 2000’s, this country has been getting its shit together, and it has seen significant improvements in its economy, safety, stability and development.

Colombia economy

Colombia has been growing rather consistently the past 20 years (COVID-19 notwithstanding) and is expected to keep doing well in the next few decades.

This gives it strong trade potential and has contributed to its economic growth over the past two decades.

The country’s economy is fairly diversified for the region, with key sectors including oil, mining, agriculture, and increasingly services and tourism. While still considered a developing economy, Colombia has built a relatively stable macroeconomic foundation compared to many of its neighbors.

Colombia is also one of the most urbanized countries in Latin America, with over 80% of the population living in cities. Major urban centers like Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali dominate the economic and cultural landscape, each offering very different lifestyles.

Colombia safety

It’s also worth mentioning that Colombia has undergone a major transformation in terms of security.

While the country still faces challenges, especially related to organized crime and certain rural areas, violence levels are significantly lower than during the peak decades of cartel and guerrilla conflict.

For example, homicide rates were once above 60 per 100,000 in the 1990s but have declined substantially since then, even if they remain elevated by global standards today.

Colombia still sports somewhat elevated crime numbers, but these numbers are mostly inflated because of some specifically dangerous zones.

Purely looking at the murder rate, it’s at about 25 murders per 100.000 inhabitants per year on average.

This is pretty high, compared to the overall United States number of 7.5 per 100.000 – which takes into account every small town.

Then again, cities like Chicago are more dangerous than Colombia, with roughly 28 per 100.000.

If you aren’t being an idiot and waving your cash around, or going out alone at 3 AM in dangerous neighborhoods, Colombia can be perfectly safe.

Colombia climate and geography

Bogotá is a massive, high-altitude capital with a cooler climate, Medellín is known for its mild “eternal spring” weather, and coastal cities like Cartagena and Barranquilla offer a much more tropical, Caribbean-style environment.

Another important aspect of Colombia is its strategic location and access to both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Finally, Colombia has a young and growing population, with a median age in the low 30s.

This creates a dynamic labor market and contributes to its long-term growth potential, especially as urbanization and foreign investment continue.

Combined with improving infrastructure and increasing international interest, this positions Colombia as one of the more promising countries in Latin America over the coming decades.