Colombia Poised for Reconstruction Post-Quake

Colombia has now also suffered a devastating earthquake, like neighboring Venezuela, and massed international efforts to rebuild will place challenges on all sectors of the construction industry, including paint and coatings.

Colombia’s newly elected president Abelardo de la Espriella has estimated that $9.6 billion in damage occurred from the August 10, 2026 earthquake that has killed at least 294 people and injured more than 4,000, as of mid-August. The 7.4-magnitude quake destroyed hundreds of buildings in western Colombia, ‌including Cali and Pereira.

Elected three days before the quake, De La Espriella said the damage included buildings lost worth some 24.5 trillion pesos and damaged infrastructure worth 5.5 trillion pesos. He announced the formation of a special fund to rebuild homes, infrastructure, hospitals and schools. Damage assessment is being managed by the Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (UNGRD), the national disaster risk management unit.

The damage left “more than 12,000 homes destroyed, more than 74,000 residences damaged, more than 200 roads cut or impassable, five airports affected, 44 aqueducts damaged, and 14 of Colombia’s 32 departments touched by the disaster,” TechTimes reported. Cali alone lost dozens of buildings. The U.S. State Department has estimated the damage to include 1,577 residential buildings, along with 37 others that were completely destroyed.

Assistance Mounts, More is Needed

International assistance pledges worth more than $1.3 billion have followed quickly. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) pledged $300 million, the World Bank delivered $200 million, the U.S. government pledged $26.5 million, and the European Union pledged $2.3 million thus far. Among many non-government agencies providing assistance, the UN Emergency Relief fund pledged $5 million.

As in Venezuela (see CW June 9), paint and coatings companies already established in Colombia will be called upon for donations at the same time as national recovery programs arise with domestic and international funding to purchase repair materials.

The leading paint and coatings companies in the country include Pintuco, also known as Compania Global de Pinturas, an AkzoNobel property, based in Medellin, Antioquia state, with sales of $189 million; Invesa, based in Envigado, Antioquia state, with sales of $96 million; Colorquimica, based in La Estrella, Antioquia state, with sales of $62 million; Sun Chemical Colombia, based in Medellin, Antioquia state, with sales of $59 million; and PPG, based in Itagui, Antioquia state, with sales of $51 million, according to Dunn & Bradstreet.

Housing Shortage Worsens

Colombia suffered from an acute housing shortage prior to the quake. The World Bank estimates some 3.7 million households — more than a quarter of the country’s total — face a housing deficit. Spanish bank BBVA estimates that the housing deficit affects some 4.9 million households — or 26.8% of the national total.

In May, BBVA also projected that final numbers on new housing sales in 2025 would grow 9.0% and by 11.5% this year. Construction of all types represent 4.3% of the country’s $438 billion economy, the bank notes.

Housing was a targeted goal of prior governments, which supported a goal of adding some 428,000 low-income homes through 2030, under the auspices of Cámara Colombiana de la Construcción (Camacol), the national construction association. While De La Espriella’s predecessor was said to have reduced funding for the program, housing is likely to become a highly visible challenge to the new administration.

Pintuco Leads the Colombian Market

Pintuco, the largest company in the Colombian paint and coatings industry, likely will lead other market players in the supply of materials both through donation and sales. The company is estimated to control nearly half of the domestic market.

Pintuco has 200 company stores in the country and plans to raise that number to 300 this year and to 450 by 2028. The company also supplies thousands of separate points of sale across the country.

The Pintuco Foundation has long been active in donating paint and coatings for urban and suburban communities, with programs that have directly affected more than a million people.

“Through the Fundación Pintuco, which celebrates 50 years of industry, we consolidated a model of integral social intervention that articulates art, color, community participation, training for employees and the improvement of housing. This allows us to contribute in a way that is sustainable to the welfare of the communities and to the empowerment of our inhabitants,” according to an August company statement by Fernando Domingues, president of Pintuco and AkzoNobel in Colombia.

“We have colored 189 educational institutions, 445 public spaces, and helped create 1,524 urban murals, many of them in association with local artists and youth collectives,” Domingues noted in the statement. In 2025, the foundation budget for social outreach was estimated at $2.1 million.

Pintuco’s outreach programs help create new customers and secures their loyalty. This helps increase paint and coatings consumption on a national level.

“The per capita consumption of paint in Colombia…is currently 3.7 liters per year, but in the region [Latin America] there are countries with consumption of 6.5 liters per year. This opportunity is linked to [dependent on] more specialized sales, innovative solutions, and above all else, to major access to dedicated channels,” Domingues said in the company statement.

Paint & Coatings Industry Growth

The Colombian paint and coatings market exceeded $1 billion in 2024, according to a July 2025 Marketresearch report. The analysts estimate that the market will grow to a level of $1.55 billion by 2034.

Growth in the architectural segment is virtually assured. Housing starts are rising, with over 575,000 total units (including both pre-sales and active construction now under permit by homebuilders in Colombia, according to Rio Times. Social program housing accounts for roughly two-thirds (about 380,000 units in the overall pipeline) of all residential development in the country, the agency notes.

Apart from new housing, hotel development for the robust tourism sector is growing, with 2025 revenues at a cumulative $9.4 billion, according to Tourism Review. Luxury hotels serving international business travelers are a particularly fast-growing niche. The Hilton chain, for example, opened several new properties during 2025 and has announced plans to open the 168-room Hilton Garden Inn Pereira in October, near the Matecaña International Airport. Similarly, the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in Cartagena opened in April.

Along with the architectural segment, industrial paint consumption in Colombia will continue to rise on the country’s Plan Maestro de Transporte Intermodal (PMTI), its 25-year intermodal transport master plan, launched a decade ago. Over the next two decades, 86 projects affecting close to 300 communities will be developed through a $48 billion investment. The World Bank ranks Colombia third in the world for efficiency in public-private partnership (PPP) program management, which already involves some $10 billion worth of combined investment.

Automotive paints and coatings also are rising. Total new car registrations were up more than 50% during the first half of 2026, with electrified vehicles accounting for roughly half of the overall market, according to Valora Analitik.

“The Colombian automotive sector experienced a strong recovery in 2025 and has further accelerated its momentum in 2026. Growth has been driven by improved household consumption, the rise of utility vehicles, and the advancement of hybrid and electric technologies,” reported BBVA in May.

Limits to Growth

Recovery from the earthquake will take time and continued support by governments and NGOs alike.

Among other challenges to the growth of the paint and coatings industry in Colombia are high corporate tax rates. Colombia’s general corporate income tax rate is a flat 35%, according to March report by PwC. Resident companies pay this rate on worldwide income, while non-resident foreign entities pay it only on income sourced inside Colombia, the accountants note.

Some paint companies in Colombia say they pay even higher taxes. “Colombian companies pay roughly 50% of income in taxes — something you don’t see in almost any other country,” noted Pinturas Bler CEO José William Ruiz in a March Rio Times interview.