Regional Economic Bulletin (BER in Spanish): Southeast, 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.
In the second quarter of 2026, the Southeast economy is estimated to have recorded moderate year-over-year growth.
In the agricultural sector, activity was driven by oil palm production and pig farming. Likewise, rice production, agricultural shipments, and cattle slaughter increased, although at a slower pace than in the previous quarter. In turn, vehicle and motorcycle sales increased, in line with greater household willingness to purchase durable goods. In building construction, the effectively constructed area increased, although the area licensed for construction and new housing sales continued their downward trend. In contrast, oil production declined due to the natural decline of fields in Casanare and some operational constraints in Meta. This performance occurred amid high international crude oil prices due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. In Villavicencio, unemployment remained below the national rate, while inflation continued to rise.
Oil production in the Southeast region continued to decline, mainly due to the natural depletion of fields in Casanare and various factors associated with local labor contracting, union activity, and the availability of suppliers in fields in Meta. On the other hand, the Rubiales and Akacías fields partially offset this result. At the international level, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East maintained upward pressure on crude oil prices, supporting the sector’s profitability.
Agricultural and livestock activity recorded mixed results. Oil palm production and pig farming continued to expand, supported by favorable demand and increased productive capacity. In contrast, rice cultivation continued to face production challenges, while agricultural shipments and cattle slaughter declined compared with the same period last year.
In the construction sector, the effectively constructed area increased due to the execution of ongoing projects. In contrast, the area licensed for construction declined, particularly in Meta. Likewise, housing sales continued to fall, mainly in the non-VIS segment, a trend that would be associated with fewer housing starts and new project launches.
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.
