How The Colombian Class System Works And Who Belongs Where

It’s not India, but let’s be honest, there is a pretty well-defined class system in Colombia. If you want to know who belongs where and how it works, then read on.

So to begin with, the class system in Colombia goes from 0-6. 0 being the poorest and 6 the richest.

I know, it’s pretty shocking to hear that this rigid class structure still exists. I thought it was a joke the first time I heard it. And of course, it definitely doesn’t help bridge the gap of inequality.

People like to say that ‘estratos’ or classes are just a way of charging more tax in richer areas to make up for the poorer areas. Fair enough and true. But by this logic, your class is based on where you live. Which is totally false.

How the Colombian Class System Works

By general rule of thumb, black and indigenous people are at the bottom, white people are on top, and mixed are all over the place. But I know you want more details than this!

So to begin with, if you are Colombian, you already belong to a class. Even if you live abroad or were born abroad. It doesn’t. And I’ll tell you why in a second.

Every Colombian knows that class is inherited. Meaning that if you are a broke backpacker living in estrato 3-4 but your parents are estrato 6, this makes you a estrato 6 my friend.

And vice versa.

If you are a newly rich living in estrato 100, those from estrato 5-6 will acknowledge you BUT remind each other that you and your family come from estrato -2.

But IF your grandparents were estrato 3, and your parents worked hard to get to estrato 5, you are now estrato 5. It basically only counts 1 generation back.

Make sense?

Breakdown of the Colombian Class System

Want to know who are the people from estrato 0,1,2,3,4,5,6?

Estrato 0: These are people from the poorest neighborhoods. These are people that live on the streets and do not have enough to eat. IF they have a roof, they might not have electricity.

Estrato 1-2: These people are from very humble neighborhoods. They might work selling things on the street and are generally hustling and/or between small jobs. Opportunities to grow are probably hard to come by as they work to pay the day to day.

Estrato 3: These are the type of people doing your services. The doorman, cab driver, nail lady, post office, etc. They earn about $800,000-$1.5MCOP or around $275-$500 USD. They work to just get by and pay the bills.

Estrato 4: These are your office workers and small entrepreneurs. They have a stable income that allows them to live relatively well. They can save and splurge. Many are able to travel outside the country and afford private schools for their kids. They can also afford private social clubs.

Estrato 5: These guys are upper middle class. They can afford to pay higher education abroad and easily travel outside the country without making a major dent. They all attended private school and people 35-years-old and below probably speak close to perfect English.

Estrato 6: La creme de la creme. They have top positions in companies or are successful business owners. They probably own several properties and have family vacations abroad and in tropical locations in Colombia. Money ain’t a thing if you know what I mean.

As a matter of fact, you won’t see many (if any) in public transportation. Quite a few have chauffeurs and body guards. But you will find them in the best restaurants and bars in the city.

It’s a pretty strange experience being a foreigner living in this Colombian class system. But that’s a whole other story I’ll share with you next time.

And as always, if you’d like to add to the subject, feel free to leave a comment down below!