49,336,454 (2023 est.)
noun: Colombian(s)
adjective: Colombian
Mestizo and White 87.6%, Afro-Colombian (includes Mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 6.8%, Amerindian 4.3%, unspecified 1.4% (2018 est.)
Spanish (official) and 65 Indigenous 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.
Spanish audio sample:
Christian 92.3% (predominantly Roman Catholic), other 1%, unspecified 6.7% (2020 est.)
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.
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)
2023 population pyramid: 
total dependency ratio: 43.5
youth dependency ratio: 31
elderly dependency ratio: 12.5
potential support ratio: 8 (2021 est.)
total: 32.4 years (2023 est.)
male: 31.2 years
female: 33.6 years
0.54% (2023 est.)
15.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
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
urban population: 82.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
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)
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: 0.96 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
21.7 years (2015 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
75 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 11.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 13.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 74.9 years (2023 est.)
male: 71.3 years
female: 78.7 years
1.94 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.95 (2023 est.)
81% (2015/16)
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.)
9% of GDP (2020)
2.33 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
1.7 beds/1,000 population (2018)
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.)
degree of risk: high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and sexually transmitted diseases: hepatitis B (2024)
22.3% (2016)
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.)
total: 8.5% (2020 est.)
male: 12.4% (2020 est.)
female: 4.6% (2020 est.)
3.7% (2015/16)
55.3% (2023 est.)
4.9% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6%
male: 95.4%
female: 95.9% (2020)
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2020)
NOTE: The information regarding Colombia on this page is re-published from the 2024 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Colombia 2024 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Colombia 2024 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 04 May 24, Copyright © 2024 ITA all rights reserved.
