Bogotá D.C., 2 October 2026: 118,410 hectares of land in Colombia was exploited for alluvial gold in 2025, according to a new study from the Colombian government and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Seventy-five per cent of such activity is illicit, while 21 per cent has technical and/or environmental permits. An additional four per cent is in the process of becoming legal.
Following a downward trend observed in 2021 and 2022, the area with evidence of alluvial gold exploitation began to increase again in 2023. That year, 105,060 hectares with active EVOA on land were identified. In 2024, the figure increased to 113,310 hectares before hitting 118,410 hectares in 2025, confirming a trend of sustained growth in activity.
The 2025 report indicates that 15 of the country's 32 departments show evidence of EVOA on land. It also indicates that most illicit exploitation (82 per cent) is concentrated in Chocó (41,493 hectares), Antioquia (24,282 hectares) and Bolívar (7,222 hectares). In addition, ten municipalities account for 54 per cent of this activity in the illicit category: Nóvita, El Cantón de San Pablo, Río Quito, Istmina and Quibdó, in Chocó; Cáceres, Nechí, El Bagre and Zaragoza, in Antioquia; and Ayapel, in Córdoba.
The increase in alluvial gold exploitation between 2024 and 2025 occurred, for the most part, on the lands of Black communities (61 per cent of the increase, equivalent to 3,096 hectares). In addition, direct or nearby evidence of EVOA on land was detected in 30 Indigenous reserves, and 215 sectors with alerts for EVOA in water were identified along 11 rivers in the Amazon region, in areas close to 64 Indigenous reserves.
“We thank the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for monitoring that shows us precisely where the State has been slow to respond. The evidence is clear: pressure is increasing in national parks, on the lands of Black communities and in Indigenous reserves, almost always alongside armed groups,” said the Minister of Mines and Energy, María Nohemi Arboleda. “This is not a debate about mining; it is a confrontation between the State and criminal economies that use gold to finance violence.”
That is why we will act on three fronts: formalizing those who are willing to operate legally, pursuing criminal structures together with the Ministry of Defence, and restoring the affected territories.”
Approximately half of alluvial gold exploitation nationwide (49 per cent) occurs in areas where mining is not permitted (58,216 hectares), including forest reserves, national natural parks and other protected areas. Of this area, 43,048 hectares are concentrated in the Pacific Forest Reserve, recognized as one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. This raises concerns about the pressure exerted by EVOA on areas that are critical for ecological conservation.
Similarly, the monitoring indicates that the presence of illegal armed groups continues to be a critical factor in areas with evidence of alluvial gold exploitation. The number of municipalities with this activity and the presence of at least one illegal armed group increased from 114 in 2024 to 118 in 2025. This is compounded by the overlap with coca cultivation: 79 of the 118 municipalities where EVOA was identified in 2025 also reported coca cultivation in 2024, mainly in Antioquia, Nariño, Cauca and Chocó.
The EVOA monitoring system, implemented by UNODC and the Government of Colombia, has become a key tool for understanding the scale and dynamics of this activity in the country. The UNODC Regional Representative for the Andean Region and the Southern Cone, Amado Philip de Andrés, UNODC Regional Representative for the Andean Region and the Southern Cone, emphasized: “EVOA is much more than an annual report or a figure. It is a strategic tool for understanding, anticipating and responding to increasingly complex phenomena. The challenge is to increasingly translate evidence into decisions, targeted interventions and concrete action in the territories.”
The information presented in the Evidence of Alluvial Gold Exploitation in Colombia 2025 report will contribute to the development of institutional responses to promote sustainable development and reduce the environmental and social impacts associated with alluvial gold exploitation.
Read the report Evidencias de Explotación de Oro de Aluvión en Colombia 2025 (in Spanish)
