2024-09-22 05:41:25
So far in 2024, Colombia has reached the lowest number of births between January 1 and July 31 in the last decade.
With a total of 255,055 live births, this represents a decrease of 15.2% compared to the same period of the previous year, when 300,874 births were reported, that is, 45,819 fewer.
Analysis by educational level of parents shows that in urban areas, 38.1% of births correspond to mothers with some type of higher education.which ranges from technical training to postgraduate studies. In contrast, in rural areas this figure drops to 11.4%. For parents, the difference is also notable, with 30.9% in urban areas and only 7.9% in rural areas.
The increase in live births to mothers with higher education has been observed in most territories, except for Chocó.. Atlántico recorded the largest increase, rising from 26.8% in 2015 to 42.8% in 2024. For its part, San Andrés stands out with the highest proportion in 2024, reaching 49.8%.
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Changes in reproductive patterns
In the last decade, there has been an increase in the proportion of first-time mothers between the ages of 15 and 44.while the number of births to mothers with two or more children has decreased in all age groups except for women over 45 years of age. In this group, the proportion increased from 61.5% in 2015 to 66.4% in 2024.
Among adolescents aged 15-19, births to mothers with one or more previous children have decreased from 17.5% in 2015 to 14.1% in 2024, suggesting a change in reproductive trends.
Institutional care in childbirth
Between 2015 and 2024, 98.2% of births in Colombia were attended in health institutions, exceeding the global average of 86% and the Americas average of 96%, according to WHO data. The department of Vaupés registered a notable increase in the number of institutional births, with an increase of 14.2 percentage points since 2015, while in Vichada there was a decrease of 8.6% in births attended in health institutions.
A significant phenomenon is the increase in births attended in departments other than the mother’s residence. In Chocó, for example, the percentage of women who gave birth in another department grew from 12.4% in 2015 to 27.2% in 2024. Cundinamarca also experienced this phenomenon, with 44.3% of births occurring outside its territory, with Bogotá DC being the main destination.
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