Colombia People - 2023
SOURCE: 2023 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Population
49,336,454 (2023 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) and 65 Amerindian languages
major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Christian 92.3% (predominantly Roman Catholic), other 1%, unspecified 6.7% (2020 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 below 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 almost one-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. Venezuela’s political and economic crisis since 2015 has prompted many Colombians to return 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. As of April 2023, almost 6.9 million people were internally displaced in Colombia. This estimate 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. The Colombian Truth Commission estimated than nearly 122,000 people were the victims of forced disappearances during the countries five-decade-long armed conflict—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. Between 2016 and October 2022, Colombia was host to the largest number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, totaling almost 2.9 million. Ecuadorian migrants also go to Colombia, most of them attempting to transit the dense and dangerous jungles of the Darien Gap to enter Panama and head onward to the US.
Age structure
0-14 years: 22.45% (male 5,663,590/female 5,413,209)
15-64 years: 66.66% (male 16,066,724/female 16,820,068)
65 years and over: 10.89% (2023 est.) (male 2,367,369/female 3,005,494)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 43.5
youth dependency ratio: 31
elderly dependency ratio: 12.5
potential support ratio: 8 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 31.2 years
male: 30.2 years
female: 32.2 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
0.54% (2023 est.)
Birth rate
15.06 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate
7.84 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate
-1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 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: 82.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
11.508 million BOGOTA (capital), 4.102 million Medellin, 2.864 million Cali, 2.349 million Barranquilla, 1.381 million Bucaramanga, 1.088 million Cartagena (2023)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
21.7 years (2015 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Maternal mortality ratio
75 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 11.65 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 74.89 years
male: 71.27 years
female: 78.69 years (2023 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.94 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.95 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
81% (2015/16)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 87.5% of population
total: 97.7% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 12.5% of population
total: 2.3% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
9% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
2.33 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Hospital bed density
1.7 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 99.1% of population
rural: 87.7% of population
total: 97% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.9% of population
rural: 12.3% of population
total: 3% of population (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
22.3% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 4.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 3.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 8.5% (2020 est.)
male: 12.4% (2020 est.)
female: 4.6% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
3.7% (2015/16)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
55.3% (2023 est.)
Education expenditures
4.9% of GDP (2020 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6%
male: 95.4%
female: 95.9% (2020)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2020)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 26.4%
male: 21.9%
female: 32.8% (2021 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Colombia on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Colombia 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Colombia 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 06 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.