10 07 29 Master thesis Juliana Leon - e-Waste. This guide

The country was ranked 77 according to its Human Development Index (HDI) 1 for
2007 (UNDP, 2009). According to the Gini index, Colombia has the 9 th most
inequitable family income distribution in the world (UNDP, 2009).
Table 1: General information and economic indicators about Colombia.
Surface 1'038'700 km 2
Total Population 45.5 millions (July 2010)
Annual population growth 1.4%
Urban population 74 %
GDP (ppp) US $ 401 billion (2009)
Population below poverty line 46.8% (2008)
HDI 0.807 (Sweden: 0.971, Niger: 0.34)
Gini Index 58.5 (Sweden: 23, Namibia: 70.7)
Source: CIA Factbook
1.2.1 ICT use and penetration in Colombia
Table 2 shows some ICT indicators for the country. Colombia was ranked 63
according to its ICT Development Index (IDI) of 2008, gaining 6 positions compared
to 2007 (ITU, 2010). The IDI is made up of 11 indicators covering ICT access, use,
and skills.
Table 2: ICT indicators for Colombia in year 2008.
IDI 2008 (ITU, 2010) 3.65 (Sweden: 7.85 and Chad: 0.79)
Households with computer 22.8%
Households with colour TV 88.5%
Households with mobile phone 83.8%
People that uses computer 46.4%
Source: DANE 2009
Colombia is facing a rapid increase in computers sales today. In 2006, the
Colombian government decided a VAT exemption for desktop and laptop computers
costing less than 82 UVT 2 , aiming to incentivize the internal PC demand and, thus, to
contribute to an increase of the national productivity and competitiveness. This
incentive, combined with the political and economic situations of the country,
generates big advances in the “IT investment per-capita” and “PC penetration rate”
indicators (CCIT, 2009). Between 2006 and 2008, the number of computers sold
1 The Human Development Index (HDI) takes into account the life expectancy, the education
enrolment and literacy rate and the quality of life through GDP.
2 UVT: Unidad de valor tributario. 82 UVT are equivalent to approximately US$ 897 in 2007 and US$
943 in 2008.
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