Medellin is Colombia’s second largest city and, together with the surrounding Antioquia province, makes up 13.9% of the country’s economy.
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Medellin’s GDP per sector
Reliable data on Medellin’s GDP and the sectors that are active in the economy do not exist, because statistics agency DANE only analyzes municipal economic activity in Bogota.
The city’s economy is intimately tied to that of the surrounding Antioquia province, which is analyzed by the national government’s statisticians.
Antioquia GDP statistics
Medellin’s business environment
Medellin is widely recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit. However, only a small minority of the city’s registered businesses has a business worth more than $13,000 in 2017. The majority of businesses are considered “micro businesses” and almost half of Medellin’s businesses are not registered.
Source: Medellin Chamber of Commerce
Medellin GDP growth
Medellin’s estimated economic growth has been similar to the national average.
Source: DANE / World Bank | More data on Colombia’s GDP
Income per capita in Medellin
Medellin’s income per capita, the annual average income, is considerably higher than the average of the country’s 13 largest cities.
Source: DANE | More data on labor and unemployment in Colombia
Inflation in Medellin
Medellin’s inflation rate has been virtually the same as that of Colombia.
Source: Central bank | More on inflation in Colombia
Medellin’s unemployment rate
The 2018 unemployment rate of Medellin’s metropolitan area reached almost 12% after a steady increase that followed a historic low in 2015.
Source: DANE | More data on labor and unemployment in Colombia
Medellin poverty rate
Medellin’s poverty rate increased for the first time in 2018 after more than a decade of steady decline. Still, poverty levels are half of Colombia’s national average.
Source: DANE | More data on poverty and inequality in Colombia
Medellin’s GINI coefficient
Medellin’s GINI coefficient, which measures the level of income inequality, increased dramatically in 2018 after hitting a record low in 2017.
Source: DANE / CEPAL | More data on poverty and inequality in Colombia
Medellin’s stratified social classes
Colombia’s government uses social stratification to determine citizens’ rights to government subsidies on public utilities. The system, however, is criticized as its traditional class system allows employers and banks to discriminate based on social class.
Source: Fenalco | More data on poverty and inequality in Colombia
Social stratification per neighborhood
The social stratification in Medellin is not linked to income, but determined by the neighborhood you live in. Residents in lower-ranked sectors receive a subsidy on public utilities while those living in the higher-ranked neighborhoods pay extra.
Source: Medellin Housing Secretary
Quality of life in Medellin
Despite having introduced social stratification in the 1990s already, Medellin’s 2017 report on the quality of life registered hardly an impact of residents’ quality of life.
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As far away from El Poblado as possible
Up one of the many hills
The escalators in Comuna 13
