Privileged geographical position

One of the main attractions of Bogota is its privileged geographical position. Located in the center of the Continent, the capital has an area of 1,775.98 km² and offers a whole range of international connections. Its air terminal boasts the largest cargo transportation capacity in Latin America and ranks third in terms of passengers.

See the Bogota’s Strategic Location section 

Market

Bogota-Region represents a market of over 10.8 million people, equivalent to 21.9% of the nation’s population (which was 49.2 million in 2017). Its strong and diversified economy explains why it makes sense to invest in Bogota.

Learn more about Market Access of Bogota.

Business Environment

Colombia's economic situation is reflected in its capital’s positive indicators. Bogota has a favorable climate for business - Fitch Ratings’ stable BBB credit rating and its 26.39% contribution to the country’s industrial GDP support the decision to invest.

In 2017, the metropolitan region's GDP accounted for 32.4% of Colombia’s total, namely USD 101.7 billion. In the same year, Bogota’s per capita GDP rose to USD 10,270, significantly higher than the USD 8,790 per capita GDP figure for the country as a whole.

Bogota-Region represents 32% of the country's corporations, 57% of its financial transactions and is home to a highly qualified talent pool. As proof of this, the number of multinationals that have decided to start operations in Bogota has increased steadily and by 2016 a total of 1,550 of these companies were located in the city.

Economic strength

The strength of Bogota’s economy is evident in its dynamism. During part of the last decade, the city’s economic growth outpaced Latin America’s. In fact, in 2017 the Colombian capital’s economy grew by 1.9% and the unemployment rate stood at 10.5%.

The city’s solid economic performance is reflected in the outstanding stability of its prices. Bogota has one of the lowest inflation rates among the most important cities in Latin America. In 2017 it was 4.6%, considerably lower than cities such as Buenos Aires and Mexico City.

Cost structure

Bogota-Region offers a very competitive production cost structure. For example, the city has one of the most favorable salary levels among the major Latin American cities. In 2017 it held a 49% share of all of Colombia’s medium and large businesses and it had a 36% share of the country’s international trade. In 2017, the metropolitan region exported USD 4.16 billion (FOB) and imported USD 26.05 billion (CIF).

Foreign investment

Bogota is a business-friendly city that offers investors one of the best entrepreneurial environments in Latin America. According to the latest World Bank analysis, Bogota is the easiest city in Latin America to conduct business.

Proof of this is that over the last 8 years Bogota has been the Latin American city that has implemented most reforms aimed at making its business environment more efficient.

Flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Colombia have performed remarkably well throughout the last decade. The historical peak in 2013, when FDI broke the barrier of USD 16 billion, is proof of this.

Updated (mm/dd/yyyy): 11.26.2018