The department of Atlántico occupies fourth position in the Departmental Competitiveness Index (IDC) 2024, with a score of 6.39 out of 10, placing itself ahead of the departments of Risaralda, Caldas and Santander, who obtained scores of 6.32, 6.27 and 6.24, respectively.
According to the measurement of the Private Competitiveness Council (CPC) and the Universidad del Rosario, presented on this occasion in Barranquilla, Atlántico occupies the third position at the national level in two of the 13 pillars that make up the measurement. In particular, it stands out in the market size pillar, where it obtains a score of 7.4 out of 10; and in infrastructure, with a score of 6.07.
In terms of market size, the department of Atlántico presents the best performance in the external market size sub-pillar where it achieves a score of 7.3 out of 10.
In the case of infrastructure, it registers the highest rating in the electricity coverage indicator (9.99), percentage of primary roads in good condition (9.86), and aqueduct coverage (9.74).
On the other hand, Atlántico concentrates its main opportunities for improvement in the pillars of environmental sustainability, higher education and training for work, and the labor market in which it registers scores of 5.62, 5.51, and 5.83, respectively.
In relation to the environmental sustainability pillar, it presents important challenges in the variables of protected areas and green businesses, in which it obtains scores lower than 2.6 out of 10.
In the pillar of higher education and training for work, Atlántico occupies position 14 in Sena graduates linked to the labor market, in addition, it occupies position 12 among 33 territories evaluated in coverage of higher education institutions with high quality accreditation.
Regarding the labor market pillar, it presents opportunities for improvement in the underemployment indicator where it is located in position 31, with a score of 4.96; and in labor formality where it is located in position 15, with a score of 4.32.
The measurement shows that Atlántico records its greatest progress in terms of score in the market size pillar, in which it improves by 0.5 points compared to its 2023 results. On the other hand, the department presents its greatest fall in the pillar of sophistication and diversification, in which it falls 0.4 points, due to its decline in the indicators of ñ diversification of export destination markets and diversification of the export basket.
Measurement changes
It is important to note that some methodological changes were introduced in this version. One of them is the adjustment made in the standardization method, which considers, for the calculation of the scores, the observed historical maximum and minimum values of the variables in a six-year time window. This
modification allows the comparison of the results of the departments and the analysis of the evolution of their competitive performance over time.
One of the most important results of the measurement is the progress recorded in most departments in their competitive performance. Proof of this is that 32 of the 33 territories evaluated
presented an increase in their overall score compared to the results observed in the 2019 measurement. A result that reflects encouraging news regarding the development trends followed by the departments in the last six years, and the progress in closing the gaps regional.
The most significant advances were observed in the departments of Caquetá, Guainía and Archipiélago de San
Andrés, which presented an average annual increase of 4.7%, 4.6% and 3.5% in their general score, in the last six years. However, some alarm signs were identified, such as the case of Putumayo, the only department that reduced its overall score between 2019 and 2024, with an average annual drop of 0.8%.
Furthermore, when comparing the evolution of the best in the measurement (Bogotá) with the worst (Vichada), an increase in the difference in score is observed from 5.3 in 2019 to 5.7 in 2024. A result that is explained in that Bogotá increased its score at a higher rate (1.3%) than Vichada did (1.1%).
