Recently, the National Bureau of Statistics of Colombia released the cement market data for the first two months of 2025. Overall, the cement market in Colombia did not perform well at the beginning of 2025, the market demand contracted, and the production and sales were impacted to a certain extent. In the first two months of
2025, Colombia's cement consumption totaled 1.835 million tons, down 4.9% from 1.929 million tons in the same period in 2024. Various types of sales have shown varying degrees of change, including bulk cement sales in the first two months of 2025 fell 12.2% year-on-year, bagged cement sales fell 1.2% year-on-year. The purchasing volume of concrete companies decreased by 12.1% year on year, while the purchasing volume of construction companies and contractors decreased by 9.5%. However, the volume of sales in the wholesale/retail sector increased by 1.2% year-on-year.
From the perspective of regional market, the performance of different regions is quite different. The Bogotá market expanded by 3% year-on-year in the first two months of 2025, while Antioquia fell by 4.7% year-on-year. Volumes in Valle del Cauca slid 2.3%, Cundinamarca fell 5.2%, and Atlántico and Santander contracted 6.6% and 6.3%, respectively. However, deliveries in Bolívar province increased by 7.3% year-on-year. In terms of
production, the total output of Colombian cement plants in January-February 2025 was 1.996 million tons, a decrease of 4.9% from 2.098 million tons in the same period in 2024.
Considering the current economic situation in Colombia, under the background of the slowdown of global economic growth, the construction industry in Colombia has also been impacted to a certain extent, resulting in a reduction in demand for cement. Tight or insufficient funding for construction projects has put some projects on hold or delayed, which in turn has affected cement sales. In addition, the strengthening of environmental regulations also requires cement producers to invest more in pollution control and emission reduction measures, which increases production costs and squeezes the profit margins of enterprises.
However, despite the current market challenges, the Colombian government's continued investment in infrastructure construction still provides potential growth opportunities for the cement market. As urbanization progresses, the construction of new residential and commercial buildings will continue to drive the growth of cement demand. At the same time, in order to cope with the pressure of environmental protection and enhance competitiveness, Colombian cement enterprises are also actively exploring technological innovation, such as research and development and application of more environmentally friendly production technology and cement products, which will help enterprises reduce costs, improve efficiency and occupy a favorable position in the future market competition.
Overall, the Colombian cement market has had a poor start in 2025, but there is still some potential for growth in the future, driven by government investment and urbanization.