Though Colombia is categorized in the upper-middle income level, inequality and regional disparities in income particularly affect vulnerable groups. The poorest 20% of families receive only 3% of total GDP, and 54% of rural families have no land. Colombia has been engaged in an internal armed conflict between guerrillas, government forces and paramilitary groups for over 40 years. More than 5 million people have suffered forced displacement in the country, mainly in rural and semi-rural areas, which contain pockets of high Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) – principally among indigenous and Afro-Colombian populations, while access to health care services is limited.
Colombia hosts close to 10% of the planet’s biodiversity, but 48% of its territory is affected by soil erosion and each year 120,933 hectares are deforested. Colombia has a climate risk index of 54.17, which makes it one of the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, forest fires and landslides in the region.