Fernando Botero
In Botero’s words there is not only nostalgia, common to many who live far from their homeland, but also the sign of a bond with a land of strong contrasts — a land that shapes deeply those who are born there, and often touches even those who visit it only once.
It is difficult to ignore the past from which Colombia is still striving to fully free itself, but it would be unfair if this overshadowed the fact that it is also a country of magnificent rainforests, fascinating remote mountains, beautiful beaches facing both the Pacific and the Atlantic, incredibly rich biodiversity (especially birdlife), charming cities, and warm, welcoming people.
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a nation characterized by extraordinary natural wealth, profound socioeconomic disparities, and evolving economic dynamics that influence both its future prospects and the development and regeneration projects taking place across the country.
Treedom has been working in Colombia since 2018, and we have decided to begin 2026 with a special focus on this country, through a project that I will tell you more about at the end of this extensive journey.
So come with me: let’s take a wide-ranging trip to better understand this complex nation.
With a population estimated at over 53 million people in 2025, Colombia is the second most populous nation in South America after Brazil, and the third in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico. The median age is around 32.5 years, placing the country among relatively young populations compared to global averages.
Its population is highly urbanized: cities such as Bogotá (over 7.6 million inhabitants), Cali, and Medellín host a large proportion of the population, while vast rural areas remain less populated but crucial for agriculture and land use.
Ethnically, Colombia is deeply diverse: the majority of the population is mestizo or white, while Indigenous communities, Afro-Colombians, and other groups enrich the cultural mosaic. Estimates indicate around 50% of the population identifies as mestizo, over 9% as Indigenous, and about 9% as Black or mulatto, though figures vary depending on sources.
Colombia’s economy shows moderate growth. According to the IMF, nominal GDP for 2025 is estimated at around $438 billion, with growth of about 2.5% and GDP per capita of roughly $8,249. OECD forecasts suggest gradual growth between 2025 and 2027, driven mainly by domestic consumption and remittances. However, structural weaknesses such as high fiscal deficits remain, requiring reforms and fiscal consolidation.
Analyses such as Deloitte Insights highlight a gradual shift toward services, tourism, and agribusiness, with rising agricultural exports and more dynamic sectors like entertainment and finance — although traditional industries still face challenges.
Despite progress, inequality remains stark. Income distribution constraints, differences between urban and rural regions, youth unemployment, and widespread informal work remain critical issues.
And we cannot fail to mention the role of the narcotics trade — a topic so relevant to both social and environmental dynamics that it deserves its own dedicated section below.
The Colombian education system has improved significantly in recent decades, with rising enrollment in primary and secondary education. However, inequalities persist, particularly in rural or marginalized areas, where infrastructure, resources, and investment capacity are limited.
These challenges intersect with broader development issues such as access to healthcare, stable employment, and diversified economic opportunities, hindering full social mobility and inclusion.
Colombia is recognized worldwide as one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, home to over 310 ecosystem types, countless plant and animal species, and unique natural environments including Andean páramos, Amazonian rainforests, and coastal regions on both the Caribbean and Pacific. The country hosts more than 63,000 recorded species, many of them endemic.
This wealth is a global treasure — but also fragile. Nearly half of Colombian ecosystems are considered threatened or endangered due to human activities such as mining, agricultural expansion, deforestation, and land-use change.
After record-low deforestation in 2023, forest loss rose again in 2024, with around 113,608 hectares lost, mostly in the Amazon, driven by fires, agricultural expansion, illegal crops, and unlawful road construction.
Climate change is already reshaping territorial dynamics: extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves are increasingly frequent and severe, worsening socioeconomic and environmental vulnerabilities.
Rural communities, Indigenous peoples, and Afro-Colombian populations are particularly exposed, facing climate impacts with limited resources and fragile infrastructure, further intensifying inequality and migration toward urban areas.
When talking about Colombia, narcotrafficking cannot be ignored. Emerging in the 1970s, it financed powerful cartels and fueled decades of violence, corruption, and conflict, deeply shaping political, social, and territorial dynamics.
Economically, cocaine trafficking generates enormous illicit revenues — comparable to major legal sectors — but creates no sustainable development, formal employment, or tax contribution. Instead, it distorts regional economies, fuels crime, drains public resources, and undermines institutional stability.
Environmentally, drug production contributes significantly to deforestation, illegal land conversion, and ecosystem destruction — especially in sensitive areas like the Amazon — while also intersecting with illegal logging and mining.
Addressing this complexity requires integrated approaches combining security, sustainable development, economic alternatives for rural communities, and strong political reform.
Treedom has been working in Colombia since 2018 to support rural communities and plant new trees together with them.
Our first project area was in the Indigenous reserve at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, near the archaeological site Ciudad Perdida — believed to date back to around 800 A.D., about 650 years before Machu Picchu. Accessible only on foot, the path to Ciudad Perdida crosses our project area. Agroforestry restoration here not only benefits the environment but also supports thousands of visitors who travel this route every year.
Over time, thanks to strong local partnerships and the country’s diverse environments, our work has expanded into multiple regions and landscapes — from steep mountain terrain, where trees stabilize soil and prevent erosion, to more accessible agricultural areas.
We plant numerous native species such as Cedro Rosado, Guava, Soursop, Criollo Cocoa, and various forest and fruit-bearing species — including Cocoa and Coffee — to generate broad environmental and social benefits. Some of our projects also involve Indigenous communities with ancestral ties to the land.
For all these reasons, we decided to dedicate the first month of 2026 to Colombia, with a symbolic yet concrete goal: planting 1,000 new trees by the end of January.
To help make it happen, we launched a promotion: if you plant 2 trees in Colombia by January 18, we’ll gift you a banana tree, planted right there in the country.