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This country’s legal measures were reviewed by our legal staff in consultation with in-country lawyers and/or CRVS legal experts. All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the legal analysis, however, if you consider there to be any discrepancies or if there have been changes in the law of the country since our staff last updated the legal analysis, we welcome any additional information or insights. Please contact us via this form.
Vital Statistics
Colombia
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Colombia
Vital Statistics
Structure of Vital Statistics Agency
Structure of Vital Statistics Agency
Agency
Does the legal framework designate the entity or entities responsible for compiling vital statistics in the country?
Yes. National Administrative Department of Statistics (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística – DANE)
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The legal framework for the vital statistics system should assign the functions of establishing, operating and maintaining a national vital statistics system to a governmental agency. Most countries assign responsibility for the vital statistics system to the national statistics office. Another option is to place the vital statistics administration within the civil registration agency. A third option is to designate specific government agencies to carry out different vital statistics functions related to their respective areas of work. Whatever option is chosen, close coordination between the vital statistics system, civil registration system, and health sector is essential.
The National Administrative Department of Statistics (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística – DANE) is the governing agency of the national statistical system
Link Between Civil Registration and Vital Statistics
Are vital statistics derived from the civil registration system?
Unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
A well-functioning civil registration system is the ideal source from which to derive accurate, complete, timely, and continuous information on vital events. Vital statistics should therefore be derived from civil registration data.
Resolution 435 of 2025, Article 1 regulates the reporting of vital events (births and deaths) and adopts the national vital events information system called RUAF-ND. Resolution 435 of 2025, Article 3 requires that all births and deaths be reported to the Ministry of Health through RUAF-ND, including events not attended by the health sector (reported via the local Health Secretariat). Resolution 435 of 2025, Article 4 provides that the variables reported in RUAF-ND are validated by DANE, and that these variables are the input for producing vital statistics. The framework clearly ties vital statistics to the RUAF-ND, which also feeds civil registration, but it does not expressly state that vital statistics must be compiled from the final civil registration records themselves.
Separately, Law 2335 of 2023, Article 1 allows the permanent use of alternative information sources and administrative records for official statistics (if they meet official statistics principles), and Law 2335 of 2023, Article 13(1) and Article 22 require SEN members/administrative-record holders to provide administrative record databases to DANE for statistical production.
Are there clear procedures and timeframes in the legal framework to facilitate sharing data from the civil registration agency to the national statistics agency(ies)?
Unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The law should require and enable the regular and timely sharing of statistical data from civil registration authority to the vital statistics agency.
Colombian law does not set a clear, fixed schedule for routine transfer of civil registration records to DANE for statistical compilation. However, the National Statistical System (SEN) framework creates a general duty to share administrative records with DANE on request: Law 2335 of 2023, Article 13(1) requires SEN members to provide DANE, the complete administrative-record databases that DANE requests for producing official statistics, and Article 22 requires administrative-record holders to provide DANE the databases/records. For vital events reporting, Resolution 435 of 2025, Article 3 requires all births and deaths to be reported in national vital events information system (RUAF-ND), and Article 4 states that DANE validates the variables used to produce vital statistics, but it does not establish a data-transfer timetable.
Does the law require that civil registration data be anonymized before it is shared with the national statistics agency(ies)?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The law should balance the privacy of individuals, with facilitation of data linkages between the civil registration and vital statistics agency when statistical data is shared between them. Generally vital event information should be submitted with identity information - such as name and unique personal identifier- removed.
