Colombia launches RUI system, D21 subgroup marks non‑poor, non‑vulnerable households

In early August Colombia began operating the Registro Universal de Ingresos (RUI), a government platform that classifies citizens into socioeconomic groups to improve targeting of social subsidies. The system uses data from more than 40 official entities, including the DIAN, the Registraduría and the Ministry of Education, and will be fully implemented by the end of August.

RUI adopts an alphanumeric classification similar to the existing Sisbén, dividing households into groups A (extreme poverty) through D (non‑poor, non‑vulnerable) with sub‑groups such as D21. The D21 sub‑group identifies individuals who are not considered poor or vulnerable. While RUI provides updated household data, it does not assign or remove subsidies; it works alongside Sisbén to make subsidy allocation more transparent and efficient.