Colombia People - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

50,355,650 (July 2021 est.)

Nationality

noun: Colombian(s)

adjective: Colombian

Ethnic groups

Mestizo and White 87.6%, Afro-Colombian (includes Mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 6.8%, Amerindian 4.3%, unspecified 1.4% (2018 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official)

printed major-language sample:
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Roman Catholic 79%, Protestant 14% (includes Pentecostal 6%, mainline Protestant 2%, other 6%), other 2%, unspecified 5% (2014 est.)

Demographic profile

Colombia is in the midst of a demographic transition resulting from steady declines in its fertility, mortality, and population growth rates. The birth rate has fallen from more than 6 children per woman in the 1960s to just above replacement level today as a result of increased literacy, family planning services, and urbanization. However, income inequality is among the worst in the world, and more than a third of the population lives below the poverty line.

Colombia experiences significant legal and illegal economic emigration and refugee outflows. Large-scale labor emigration dates to the 1960s; the United States and, until recently, Venezuela have been the main host countries. Emigration to Spain picked up in the 1990s because of its economic growth, but this flow has since diminished because of Spain’s ailing economy and high unemployment. Colombia has been the largest source of Latin American refugees in Latin America, nearly 400,000 of whom live primarily in Venezuela and Ecuador. Venezuela’s political and economic crisis since 2015, however, has created a reverse flow, consisting largely of Colombians returning home.

Forced displacement continues to be prevalent because of violence among guerrillas, paramilitary groups, and Colombian security forces. Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations are disproportionately affected. Even with the Colombian Government’s December 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the risk of displacement remains as other rebel groups fill the void left by the FARC. Between 1985 and September 2017, nearly 7.6 million persons have been internally displaced, the highest total in the world. These estimates may undercount actual numbers because many internally displaced persons are not registered. Historically, Colombia also has one of the world’s highest levels of forced disappearances. About 30,000 cases have been recorded over the last four decades—although the number is likely to be much higher—including human rights activists, trade unionists, Afro-Colombians, indigenous people, and farmers in rural conflict zones.

Because of political violence and economic problems, Colombia received limited numbers of immigrants during the 19th and 20th centuries, mostly from the Middle East, Europe, and Japan. More recently, growth in the oil, mining, and manufacturing sectors has attracted increased labor migration; the primary source countries are Venezuela, the US, Mexico, and Argentina. Colombia has also become a transit area for illegal migrants from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean -- especially Haiti and Cuba -- who are en route to the US or Canada.

Age structure

0-14 years: 23.27% (male 5,853,351/female 5,567,196)

15-24 years: 16.38% (male 4,098,421/female 3,939,870)

25-54 years: 42.04% (male 10,270,516/female 10,365,423)

55-64 years: 9.93% (male 2,307,705/female 2,566,173)

65 years and over: 8.39% (male 1,725,461/female 2,390,725) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 45.4

youth dependency ratio: 32.3

elderly dependency ratio: 13.2

potential support ratio: 7.6 (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 31.2 years

male: 30.2 years

female: 32.2 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

1.04% (2021 est.)

Birth rate

16.51 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate

5.53 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate

-0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution

the majority of people live in the north and west where agricultural opportunities and natural resources are found; the vast grasslands of the llanos to the south and east, which make up approximately 60% of the country, are sparsely populated

Urbanization

urban population: 81.7% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

11.167 million BOGOTA (capital), 4.034 million Medellin, 2.810 million Cali, 2.299 million Barranquilla, 1.349 million Bucaramanga, 1.071 million Cartagena (2021)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

21.7 years (2015 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality rate

83 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 12.88 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 15.73 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 9.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.91 years

male: 73.77 years

female: 80.23 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.14 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

81% (2015/16)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 86.4% of population

total: 97.3% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 13.6% of population

total: 2.7% of population (2017 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

7.6% (2018)

Physicians density

2.19 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density

1.7 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 98.3% of population

rural: 80.1% of population

total: 94.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.7% of population

rural: 19.9% of population

total: 5.3% of population (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.4% (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

180,000 (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3,000 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever

note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout Colombia; as of 19 July 2021, Columbia has reported a total of 4,639,466   cases of COVID-19 or 9117.93 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with 228.58 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 18 July 2021, 29.64% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

22.3% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

3.7% (2015/16)

Education expenditures

4.5% of GDP (2018)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 95.1%

male: 94.9%

female: 95.3% (2018)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2018)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 20%

male: 15.9%

female: 25.4% (2019 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Colombia on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Colombia 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Colombia 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.