Republic of ColombiaColombia

Population: 44,205,293
Comparison to the world: 28
(July 2010 est.)

Capital: Bogota

Time Difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Land Area: 1,138,914 sq km
Comparison to the world: 26

Border countries:
Brazil 1,644 km
Ecuador 590 km
Panama 225 km
Peru 1,800 km
Venezuela 2,050 km

GDP (purchasing power parity):
US $401 billion (2009 est.)
Comparison to the world: 29

Source: CIA World Factbook

Offshore Opportunities

Offshore

In a recent analysis by the Gartner Group, Colombia narrowly failed to make it into the top 30 offshore destinations in the world. The study looked at factors such as the quality and availability of the labor pool, local economic conditions, and government support. Colombia was bested in the Americas by only 7 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay. One of the key benefits of Latin American service providers noted in the analysis was the region’s native Spanish language skills. With a growing U.S. Latino population, American companies looking for Spanish language software development and support may find an efficient and cost-effective solution with Latin American service providers.

While Colombia was not featured in their 2010 analysis of top offshoring opportunities in the Americas, the Gartner Group indicated that Colombia was high on the list of countries that clients inquired about. They went on to indicate that it would be easy to foresee Colombia evolving as an offshore service provider.