Colombia’s Economy Grew Slightly in April, but Agriculture Did Not
The Economic Monitoring Indicator (ISE) recorded an annual variation of 3.33% in April compared with the same month in 2025, the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) reported.
According to the agency, for the month of April 2026, the ISE in its original series (a series generated from the basic information and the synthesis process, from which the seasonal effect has not been removed) stood at 124.35, representing growth of 3.34% compared with April 2025 (120.33).
The ISE is a synthetic index whose purpose is to provide a measure of the evolution of real economic activity in the short term, adjusted to the methodology used in the quarterly national accounts. It is composed of a heterogeneous set of monthly indicators representative of economic activities.
According to DANE, in the fourth month of the year, tertiary activities (trade, transportation, tourism, and services) were the main drivers of performance and, in their original series, stood at 140.58, representing growth of 4.58% compared with April 2025 (134.43).
Among the tertiary activities are those related to public administration, health, and education, which led growth with an expansion of 8.1%. Public utilities, including the supply of gas, steam, electricity, and air conditioning, also stood out with a variation of 4.7%.
They were followed by secondary activities (related to construction and manufacturing), which, for April 2026, stood at 92.77 in their original series, representing growth of 1.83% compared with April 2025 (91.10).
Manufacturing industries and construction recorded a variation of 1.8%. Other tertiary activities followed, such as information and communications, with 1.5%, and professional, scientific, and technical activities, with 1.2%.
No Growth in Primary Activities
However, primary activities (agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and fishing, mining and quarrying) weighed against the economy.
In their original series, they stood at 95.67, representing a decline of 2.35% compared with April 2025 (97.97). This is a worrying figure for the government, which has placed significant emphasis on the countryside as a way to stimulate the economy.
Overall, the performance of the Colombian economy in April did not match the estimates of various research centers, which had expected the ISE to reach levels between 3.6% and 4.4% for that month.
Regarding cumulative performance during the year, the ISE in its original series recorded growth of 2.46% during the first four months, higher than the 1.86% observed during the same period in 2025.
Between January and April, activities related to public administration, defense, health, education, as well as artistic and entertainment activities, led growth with an annual variation of 5.9%.
They were followed by activities related to the supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning, which advanced 3.1%, while trade, transportation, and accommodation and food services recorded an expansion of 3%.
In the ISE, as in quarterly GDP (GDP_Q), three source-data incorporation cycles are considered, which generate revisions to previously published series.