Regional Economic Bulletin (BER in Spanish): Caribbean Coast, Second Quarter of 2026
The Regional Economic Bulletin is published by the Regional Economies Section of the Technical and Economic Information Department at Banco de la República. The views and potential errors are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not compromise Banco de la República or its Board of Directors.
During the second quarter of 2026, the economy in the Caribbean region performed better than a year earlier.
This performance was driven mainly by household consumption, despite the weakening of some important productive activities. Vehicle and durable goods sales supported the growth in trade, while the increase in transportation activity was driven by greater cargo and passenger traffic. In turn, coal production contributed to the growth in mining, and cattle slaughter boosted livestock activity. However, not all sectors performed favorably. Manufacturing contracted due to weak external demand and constraints on the supply of inputs. Likewise, building construction activity declined amid smaller areas under construction. Meanwhile, inflation continued to rise, driven by food and accommodation prices, while the unemployment rate increased in annual terms.
Trade continued to grow, supported by household consumption, particularly purchases of vehicles and other durable goods. Higher spending on cultural and entertainment goods related to the FIFA World Cup also contributed. However, election days partially moderated purchasing decisions.
Construction and manufacturing weakened. The effectively constructed area declined due to fewer residential and warehouse projects, while sales of low-income housing (VIS in Spanish) and non-VIS housing also fell. In manufacturing, input shortages and external demand constrained production in Atlántico and Córdoba.
Within agricultural and livestock activity, cattle and hog slaughter increased due to greater availability of livestock. By contrast, the rainfall deficit reduced the supply of fruits, vegetables, and palm, while high temperatures and lower availability of forage affected milk collection.
Regional Economic Bulletin published to date (since 2025)
In order to present this content to the English-speaking public, since 2025 Banrep has been providing translations of the summaries. The full document, as well as the interactive bulletin, are published only in Spanish.
