Women have crossed a significant frontier in the Colombian economy. For the first time, the country has a sufficiently broad overview to confirm that it is women who lead more than half of urban businesses.
The preliminary results of the National Urban Economic Census from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) indicate that 51.5% of economic units are owned by women. This statistical operation has characterized just over two million economic units and represents the first census of its kind conducted in Colombia in 34 years.
This data helps to gauge the importance of women in Colombian business activity, especially in small businesses and in what is referred to as the popular economy. However, a more detailed reading of the statistics also reveals a less favorable reality: having more businesses does not necessarily mean controlling larger companies or having the same opportunities to grow them.
An Urban Economy with a Female Face
The census marks an important advancement because it does not limit itself to counting establishments. For the first time, it incorporates information about who is behind these businesses and analyzes issues related to gender, the popular economy, the care economy, and the characteristics of business owners.
The resulting picture shows an urban economy where female presence has a decisive weight. DANE counts more than two million economic units, in addition to more than three million establishments and nearly 6.1 million people employed.
But there is another piece of data that necessitates nuance. Only 49.2% of economic units have a Unique Tax Registry (RUT), according to results compiled by Forbes from the census. Therefore, formalization continues to be one of the major challenges for the Colombian business structure.
Many Female Entrepreneurs, But Smaller Businesses
When the census data is crossed with other recent research, a significant difference emerges between entrepreneurial presence and the size of companies.
A study by Confecámaras and the Woman Free and Productive Fund concluded that companies led by women have, on average, fewer employees and lower income ranges than those led by men. The research also detected differences in the likelihood of hiring salaried workers and a greater burden of unpaid domestic and care work among female entrepreneurs.
Data from Confecámaras allows us to observe that inequality from another perspective. An analysis published in 2025 identified approximately 717,000 companies led by women, around 42% of the Colombian business fabric, but noted that 97% were microenterprises and only 0.4% were medium or large companies.
There is no contradiction with the 51.5% from the new census: the statistics measure different universes and concepts. The Economic Census observes urban economic units, while business data from commercial registries allows for analyzing the formal fabric from another perspective.
Access to Capital Continues to Be a Barrier
One of the main obstacles arises when these female entrepreneurs want to grow. Access to financing remains a significant challenge for many women-led companies.
A study from the Woman Free and Productive Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank, based on a survey of 1,123 Colombian companies, found that only 34.2% of female entrepreneurs had accessed bank credit, while more than half financed their businesses with their own resources.
The difference is significant because it determines a company’s ability to invest, hire workers, adopt technology, increase inventories, or internationalize. Starting a business is just the first step; ensuring it survives, grows, and generates stable employment requires financial resources and management capabilities.
Therefore, the 51.5% figure can also be interpreted as a question for the Colombian economy: how can we ensure that this substantial volume of female entrepreneurship transforms into companies capable of growth?
From Entrepreneurship to Business Consolidation
Colombia has a considerable opportunity ahead. If more than half of urban economic units are led by women, improving the conditions in which they operate could have effects that extend far beyond gender equality.
Confecámaras has also found that companies led by women play a particularly relevant role in integrating other women into the labor market, as they proportionally hire more female workers than companies led by men.
The challenge lies in moving from a strong presence in small ventures to greater participation in larger, more productive companies with the capacity to generate employment.
The new National Urban Economic Census has quantified a reality that until now has been much harder to measure: women now constitute the majority among those leading Colombian urban businesses. The next step will be to determine how many of these businesses manage to surpass the survival threshold, formalize, access financing, and become companies that can grow.
Because perhaps the most important figure in a few years will not be how many women create or lead businesses in Colombia, but how many manage to transform them into established companies.
