Share of population with no formal education in Colombia
Colombia: Share of population with no formal education was 2.6% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with no formal education in Colombia, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Colombia recorded 2.6% for share of population with no formal education in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is down 40.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Colombia peaked at 90.1% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2020.
Colombia ranks 61st of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in Colombia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 90.1% | — |
| 1875 | 88.6% | -1.7% |
| 1880 | 87.0% | -1.8% |
| 1885 | 85.4% | -1.8% |
| 1890 | 84.6% | -0.9% |
| 1895 | 84.4% | -0.2% |
| 1900 | 77.0% | -8.8% |
| 1905 | 73.9% | -4.0% |
| 1910 | 65.0% | -12.0% |
| 1915 | 61.4% | -5.5% |
| 1920 | 57.8% | -5.9% |
| 1925 | 51.9% | -10.2% |
| 1930 | 48.2% | -7.1% |
| 1935 | 45.6% | -5.4% |
| 1940 | 44.2% | -3.1% |
| 1945 | 41.3% | -6.6% |
| 1950 | 38.9% | -5.8% |
| 1955 | 35.3% | -9.3% |
| 1960 | 30.8% | -12.7% |
| 1965 | 26.7% | -13.3% |
| 1970 | 22.3% | -16.5% |
| 1975 | 19.3% | -13.5% |
| 1980 | 15.8% | -18.1% |
| 1985 | 12.2% | -22.8% |
| 1990 | 10.4% | -14.8% |
| 1995 | 10.2% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 8.1% | -20.6% |
| 2005 | 4.8% | -40.7% |
| 2010 | 4.4% | -8.3% |
| 2015 | 3.5% | -20.5% |
| 2020 | 2.6% | -25.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 89.3% | 88.6% | 90.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 86.2% | 85.4% | 87.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 84.5% | 84.4% | 84.6% | 2 |
| 1900s | 75.5% | 73.9% | 77.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 63.2% | 61.4% | 65.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 54.8% | 51.9% | 57.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 46.9% | 45.6% | 48.2% | 2 |
| 1940s | 42.8% | 41.3% | 44.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 37.1% | 35.3% | 38.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 28.8% | 26.7% | 30.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 20.8% | 19.3% | 22.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 14.0% | 12.2% | 15.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 10.3% | 10.2% | 10.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 4.8% | 8.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.5% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More education data for Colombia
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.14 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.2 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.08 units per person (2022)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.2 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.08 units per person (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.00 million (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Colombia?
- Share of population with no formal education in Colombia was 2.6% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 90.1% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2020.
- How does Colombia rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Colombia ranks 61st out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Colombia data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.