health
May 5, 2026
The Antioquia municipality with the lowest birth rate: the hospital only attended one birth this year
Juan José is the name of the only baby born this year at the San Pablo de Tarso hospital. Just one. This municipality located high in the mountains of southwestern Antioquia — 11 kilometers from the 4G highway that crosses the Cauca River canyon and famous for being the birthplace of the blessed Jesús Aníbal Gómez, assassinated in the Spanish Civil War in 1936 — has the lowest fertility rate in Antioquia, with just 0.3 children per woman, a drop of 77.7% since 2008.
TL;DR
- Tarso, Antioquia, has the lowest fertility rate in the region with 0.3 children per woman, a 77.7% decrease since 2008.
- Factors contributing to the decline include increased access to family planning, contraception, migration for education/work, and a shift in priorities towards higher education for women.
- Other municipalities in Antioquia also show low fertility rates, with only one municipality, Murindó, above the replacement level.
- The rapid decline in birth rates in Antioquia is faster than in other regions and globally, making it a notable case.
- Violence is also cited as a factor, particularly affecting young adults in their prime reproductive years.