While Colombia's birth rates have hit historic lows, another trend is on the rise: nearly half of all households in the country are now headed by women—many of them single, under-resourced, and without support systems. According to the 2024 report Ser mujer, madre y sostén del hogar en Colombia by Fundación WWB, 46.5% of Colombian households are led by women, totaling 8.5 million homes.
Despite this growing demographic, conditions remain bleak. Most of these women face systemic economic disadvantages: 65% are single, 37.7% live in monetary poverty (compared to 29.5% of male heads of household), and they earn an average of 1.2 million pesos per month, below the national average and lower than that of men in the same position.
The situation is even more precarious for Indigenous and Afro-Colombian women, with over 65% unable to meet basic needs and high rates of food insecurity reported. As birth rates fall—only 445,011 births were registered in 2024—experts warn that the decision to delay or forego motherhood is increasingly driven by structural hardship, not choice.
Compiled From: Daniella Mazo González, “Maternidad en crisis: más mujeres deciden no tener hijos en Colombia y no es por elección libre”, Infobae, Jul 23, 2025.