Colombia Enabling Environment Baseline Snapshot

Colombia remains mired in a protracted armed conflict, with illegal armed groups—linked to drug trafficking and illegal mining—exercising control over vast territories. According to the 2025 report by Human Rights Watch, the main actors with territorial control are the ELN, FARC dissidents, and the Clan del Golfo. In June 2024, the Clan del Golfo had a presence in 392 municipalities, the dissidents in 299 and the ELN in 232, representing a worrying increase compared to 2022. Although there is no clear judicial traceability, their actions directly threaten the free functioning of civil society, especially in the regions.

More than 16 million people (33% of the population) live in poverty and exclusion, which exacerbates barriers to citizen participation. Although the 1991 Constitution and the 2016 Peace Agreement with the FARC enshrined citizen participation as a structural pillar of democracy, its implementation has been partial and uneven, especially in regions affected by the conflict.

Despite formal democratic institutions, the legitimacy of Colombian democracy is increasingly questioned. A 2023 national survey revealed that 76.2% of people over the age of 18 value living in a democracy, but an independent 2025 survey revealed that 74% believe that democracy is in danger. Social protest, a key form of citizen participation, faces repression under a militarised security approach, which often results in human rights violations.

Violence against civil society actors has skyrocketed: more than 180 social leaders were killed in 2024, including 28 signatories of the Peace Agreement. Colombia is now the deadliest country for environmental defenders, with 461 killed between 2012 and 2023. Armed conflict and criminal violence displaced or confined more than 75,000 people in early 2025 alone, a 59% increase over the previous year.

Under President Gustavo Petro, elected in 2022, efforts to expand participation have been hampered by entrenched centralisation and institutional mistrust. Corruption remains widespread; Colombia ranks 92nd in Transparency International's 2024 index, and recent scandals have undermined promises to fight corruption. Taken together, these dynamics erode the enabling environment for civic space and democratic participation.