Last month we started the discussion of the poverty that is currently happening in Colombia as a whole. This month, we would like to dive deeper into one city in particular that has been affected and that is Medellin. For those who may not know, Medellin is the second-largest city in Colombia coming after Bogota, and is the capital of the department of Antioquia. Located in the Aburra Valley, Medellin has an estimated population of about 2,508,452 according to their Census of 2018. Then, when you include the surrounding area that incorporates nine other cities, it makes the metropolitan area of Medellin the second largest urban agglomeration in Colombia as it pertains to population and economy with over 3.7 million people.
When it comes to poverty and unemployment in Medellin, the city has been through a lot of changes over the years. Back in 2009, the poverty rate in Medellin and its metropolitan area had dropped by 22.5% during the period of 2002 to 2008 according to the data released by the Measuring Monetary Poverty and Inequality Mission. In addition, the extreme poverty rate dropped by 25.2% from 12.3% to 9.2%. These increases are directly related to the increase in coverage of basic services like health, education, and public services in the city.
Unemployment has also decreased within the last decade. In fact, data from the National Statistics Department, unemployment for Medellin and its metropolitan area decreased by 25%. Unfortunately, however, despite these strides that the city has made in regards to poverty and unemployment, Medellin still stands out as one of the most unequal cities of Columbia with a GINI coefficient of 0.506.
So, as you can see, there is still a lot of work to be done in Medellin to help fully eradicate poverty and unemployment, and also create a more equitable society for the citizens. Restoring The Peace will be working with different organizations based in the heart of Medellin in order to provide resources, job opportunities, and other basic necessities to those in need. Be sure to stay tuned for future updates!