Gloria Camargo
Only three out of 10 Colombians have gone through a higher education institution, according to Dane data for 2022. This figure decreases considerably in rural areas, where only 8% of people have had access to this type of education.
The director of Dane, Piedad Urdinola, explained that although women have had greater access to higher education than men, in the labor market they still face higher unemployment rates and lower participation. This is due, according to Urdinola, to the burden of care that falls on women at home.
Bogotá leads the list of cities with the greatest access to higher education, with 47.1% of people aged 17 or over having had this opportunity. On the other hand, Arauca, Vaupés and Vichada presented the lowest percentages of access.
The average education of Colombians between 15 and 24 years has remained at 10.1 years in the last four years at the national level. In dispersed populated and rural centers, this average drops to 8.8 years.
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Urdinola points out that to see a significant change in the population’s average years of education, permanent efforts are needed over many years. In Bogotá, the average rises to 11.3 years, while in Chocó, Guainía and Vichada the data is the lowest.
Among other population groups, people between the ages of 25 and 34 have an average of 11.4 years of education, while people over 35 have an average of 8.6 years.
These data show that there is still a large gap in access to higher education in Colombia, especially in rural areas. Permanent efforts and public policies are needed to increase access and reduce inequalities in education.