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Demographics of Colombia

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Demographics of Colombia
Population pyramid of Colombia in 2020[needs update]
Population52,695,952 (2024 est.)[1]
Density46.15/km2 (119.5/sq mi) (2024 est.)
Growth rateIncrease 0.54%[2]
Birth rate9.8 births/1,000 population (2023)[3]
Death rate5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Life expectancy74.9 years[4]
 • male71.3 years
 • female78.7 years
Fertility rate1.1 children born/woman (2023 est.)[5]
Infant mortality rate11.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)[4]
Net migration rateDecrease −6.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023)[6]
Age structure
0–14 years24.5%
15–64 years64.1%
65 and over11.4%
Sex ratio
Total1.03 male(s)/female
At birth1.05 male(s)/female
Under 151.02 male(s)/female
15–64 years0.95 male(s)/female
65 and over0.75 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityColombian
Major ethnicUndeclared (83.61%)[7]
Minor ethnic
Language
OfficialSpanish
SpokenLanguages of Colombia

The demographics of Colombia consist of statistics regarding Colombians' health, economic status, religious affiliations, ethnicity, population density, and other aspects of the population. Colombia is the second-most populous country in South America after Brazil, and the third-most populous in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico.

Colombia's population has grown steadily for most of its history, although the growth rate slowed markedly in the late 20th century, due in part to emigration resulting from a sustained internal conflict. However, the economy has improved noticeably in recent decades, especially in urban areas, and living standards have risen in line with this.

Population size and structure

[edit]
Population history
YearPop.±% p.a.
1500 6,000,000—    
1600 750,000−2.06%
1700 800,000+0.06%
1778 891,077+0.14%
1810 1,400,000+1.42%
1820 1,300,000−0.74%
1825 1,327,000+0.41%
1835 1,687,109+2.43%
1843 1,932,279+1.71%
1851 2,243,730+1.89%
1864 2,441,300+0.65%
1870 2,681,637+1.58%
1905 4,533,777+1.51%
1912 5,472,604+2.73%
1918 5,855,077+1.13%
1928 7,851,110+2.98%
1938 8,701,816+1.03%
1951 11,548,172+2.20%
1964 17,484,508+3.24%
1973 20,785,235+1.94%
1985 27,837,932+2.46%
1993 33,109,839+2.19%
2005 41,468,384+1.89%
2018 48,258,494+1.17%
2026 53,399,171+1.27%
Source: Statoids[9] National Censuses.[10][11]

UN estimates

[edit]

According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects[12][13] the total population was 51,516,562 in 2021, compared to only 12,342,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2015 was 24.3%, 68.7% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 7% was 65 years or older.[14]

Year Total population
( × 1000) 		Population percentage in age bracket
0–14 15–64 65+
1950 12 341
42.6%
54.0%
3.4%
1955 14 225
44.8%
52.0%
3.2%
1960 16 480
46.4%
50.4%
3.2%
1965 19 144
46.9%
49.9%
3.2%
1970 22 061
45.9%
50.7%
3.4%
1975 24 757
43.4%
53.0%
3.6%
1980 27 738
40.6%
55.7%
3.7%
1985 31 012
37.9%
58.2%
3.9%
1990 34 272
36.3%
59.6%
4.1%
1995 37 442
34.3%
61.3%
4.4%
2000 40 404
31.5%
63.8%
4.7%
2005 43 286
28.9%
65.9%
5.2%
2010 45 918
26.4%
67.8%
5.9%
2015 48 229
24.3%
68.7%
7.0%
2020 50 883
22.2%
68.8%
9.1%
The population density of Colombia. Red showing concentration of population.
Demographics of Colombia, Data of Our World in Data, year 2022; Number of inhabitants in millions.

2018 Census

[edit]
Main article: 2018 Colombian census

According to the 2018 census, Colombia has 48,258,494 inhabitants within its territory.[15] All the data below is available in the DANE Census results.

population (million)year102030405060194019601980200020202040populationColombia Population
View source data.
%year05101520253035195019601970198019902000201020202030natural growthColombia Natural Growth
View source data.

[16]

TFRyear1234567195019601970198019902000201020202030Total Fertility RateTotal Fertility Rate
View source data.
Rank Department Census population Change, 2005–2018 Percent of the total Colombia population, 2018[note 1] Population density 2026 population projection
Current 2005 2018 2005 Percent
[note 2] 		Absolute Extension km2 Population density 2026 Rank 2026 population
1 1 Bogotá 7,412,566 6,840,116 8.4% +572,450 15.36% 1,587 5,006.9 1 7,945,996
2 2 Antioquia 6,407,102 5,696,183 12.5% +710,919 13.27% 63,612 109.5 2 6,963,990
3 3 Valle del Cauca 4,475,886 4,161,425 7.6% +314,461 9.27% 22,140 213.0 3 4,714,987
4 4 Cundinamarca 2,919,060 2,280,037 28.0% +639,023 6.05% 24,210 148.8 4 3,601,277
5 5 Atlántico 2,535,517 2,166,156 17.1% +369,361 5.25% 3,388 851.8 5 2,885,904
6 6 Santander 2,184,837 1,957,789 11.6% +227,048 4.53% 30,537 78.9 6 2,410,700
7 7 Bolívar 2,070,110 1,878,993 10.2% +191,917 4.29% 25,978 86.7 7 2,251,190
8 9 Córdoba 1,784,783 1,467,929 21.6% +316,854 3.70% 25,020 80.5 8 2,014,312
9 8 Nariño 1,630,592 1,541,956 5.7% +88,636 3.38% 33,268 51.8 9 1,721,735
10 13 Norte de Santander 1,491,689 1,243,975 19.9% +247,714 3.09% 21,658 79.3 10 1,717,792
11 11 Cauca 1,464,488 1,268,937 15.4% +195,551 3.03% 29,308 55.0 11 1,613,329
12 14 Magdalena 1,341,746 1,149,917 16.7% +191,829 2.78% 23,188 67.2 12 1,558,748
13 10 Tolima 1,330,187 1,365,342 −2.6% −35,155 2.76% 23,562 59.0 14 1,390,982
14 12 Boyacá 1,217,376 1,255,311 −3.0% −37,935 2.52% 23,189 55.9 15 1,295,848
15 17 Cesar 1,200,574 903,279 32.9% +297,295 2.49% 22,905 65.2 13 1,493,824
16 15 Huila 1,100,386 1,011,418 8.8% +88,968 2.28% 19,890 61.4 16 1,221,847
17 19 Meta 1,039,722 783,168 32.8% +256,554 2.15% 85,635 13.6 17 1,166,652
18 16 Caldas 998,255 968,740 3.0% +29,515 2.07% 7,888 134.0 19 1,056,839
19 18 Risaralda 943,401 897,509 5.1% +45,892 1.95% 4,140 243.2 21 1,006,785
20 20 Sucre 904,863 772,010 17.2% +132,853 1.88% 10,917 95.9 20 1,047,052
21 21 La Guajira 880,560 681,575 29.2% +198,985 1.82% 20,848 51.9 18 1,082,618
22 22 Quindío 539,904 534,552 1.0% +5,352 1.12% 1,845 302.4 23 557,850
23 23 Chocó 534,826 440,123 21.6% +94,703 1.11% 46,530 12.9 22 599,468
24 26 Casanare 420,504 293,253 43.4% +127,251 0.87% 44,640 10.7 24 477,966
25 24 Caquetá 401,489 420,337 −4.5% −18,848 0.83% 88,965 4.9 25 431,867
26 25 Putumayo 348,182 310,132 12.3% +38,050 0.72% 24,885 15.9 26 395,590
27 27 Arauca 262,174 232,118 12.9% +30,056 0.54% 23,818 11.8 27 280,022
28 31 Vichada 107,808 55,872 93.0% +51,936 0.22% 100,242 1.5 28 154,190
29 28 Guaviare 82,767 95,551 −13.4% −12,874 0.17% 53,460 1.6 30 84,833
30 30 Amazonas 76,589 67,726 13.1% +8,863 0.16% 109,665 0.8 29 85,896
31 29 San Andrés y Providencia 61,280 70,554 −13.1% −9,274 0.13% 52 1,221.7 31 63,527
32 33 Guainía 48,114 35,230 36.6% +12,884 0.10% 72,238 0.8 32 61,065
33 32 Vaupés 40,797 39,279 3.9% +1,518 0.08% 54,135 0.8 33 44,490
− − Colombia 48,258,494 42,888,592 12.5% +5,369,902 − 1,141,748 46.8 − 53,399,171

Structure of the population

[edit]
Structure of the population according to the 2018 census results[17]
Age group Male Female Total %
Total 23 550 072 24 708 422 48 258 494 100
0–4 1 698 699 1 621 485 3 320 184 6.88
5–9 1 862 778 1 780 738 3 643 516 7.55
10–14 2 017 205 1 925 513 3 942 718 8.17
15–19 2 152 328 2 055 812 4 208 140 8.72
20–24 2 166 806 2 137 851 4 304 657 8.92
25–29 2 007 553 2 026 857 4 034 410 8.36
30–34 1 804 867 1 857 952 3 662 819 7.59
35–39 1 703 524 1 809 693 3 513 217 7.28
40–44 1 428 451 1 568 401 2 996 852 6.21
45–49 1 360 889 1 529 794 2 890 683 5.99
50–54 1 327 108 1 510 491 2 837 599 5.88
55–59 1 153 378 1 336 760 2 490 138 5.16
60–64 916 911 1 076 164 1 993 075 4.13
65–69 699 748 820 394 1 520 142 3.15
70–74 501 888 598 405 1 100 293 2.28
75–79 357 112 443 978 801 090 1.66
80+ 415 967 582 994 998 961 2.07
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 5 578 682 5 327 736 10 906 418 22.60
15–64 16 021 815 16 909 775 32 931 590 68.24
65+ 1 974 715 2 445 771 4 420 486 9.16

Urbanization

[edit]
See also: Colombia § Largest cities and towns

Movement from rural to urban areas was very heavy in the middle of the twentieth century, but has since tapered off. The urban population increased from 29% of the total population in 1938, to 52% in 1964 and about 70% by 1990. Currently the figure is about 77%. The list of the most populated cities in the country only contains the population living in the urban area of the municipalities, according to the results of the 2018 population census.[18]

Rank Place name 2026 projections 2018 Census 2005 Census Change since 2018
1 Bogotá 7,914,911 7,412,566 6,776,691 6.8%
2 Medellín 2,478,217 2,427,129 2,223,078 2.1%
3 Cali 2,217,353 2,227,642 2,083,102 –0.5%
4 Barranquilla 1,275,180 1,205,284 1,142,451 5.8%
5 Cartagena 902,411 876,885 842,632 2.9%
6 Soacha 888,398 655,025 396,544 35.6%
7 Cúcuta 761,043 685,445 567,559 11.0%
8 Soledad 732,525 602,644 460,745 21.6%
9 Bucaramanga 607,951 570,752 509,135 6.5%
10 Bello 587,840 495,483 358,167 18.6%
11 Valledupar 552,094 431,794 299,112 27.9%
12 Villavicencio 541,221 492,052 356,461 10.0%
13 Santa Marta 526,978 455,299 385,186 15.7%
14 Ibagué 516,862 492,554 468,378 4.9%
15 Montería 458,206 388,499 286,631 17.9%
16 Manizales 449,879 405,234 353,138 11.0%
17 Pereira 409,683 385,838 371,439 6.2%
18 Neiva 382,081 335,994 295,847 13.7%
19 Pasto 316,257 308,095 312,480 2.6%
20 Floridablanca 302,462 280,025 243,773 8.0%
21 Armenia 298,815 287,245 273,076 4.0%
22 Palmira 296,852 275,254 228,056 7.8%
23 Sincelejo 294,007 249,323 219,655 17.9%
24 Popayán 291,391 266,561 226,867 9.3%
25 Itagüí 277,025 247,918 213,187 11.7%
26 Buenaventura 262,320 235,064 292,889 11.6%
27 Envigado 257,546 215,766 165,462 18.0%
28 Dosquebradas 234,946 204,280 169,820 15.0%
29 Barrancabermeja 202,927 177,272 170,821 14.5%
30 Tuluá 187,083 174,951 160,916 6.9%

Metropolitan areas

[edit]

There are 8 official metropolitan areas configurated according to the Colombian territorial laws; to organize a metropolitan area in Colombia the vinculated municipalities must consult its population to approve such territorial organization.[19] By population[20], officially recognized metropolitan areas are:

  • Metropolitan area of Medellín: also known as metropolitan area of the Aburra Valley, includes the Medellin district and the surrounding municipalities, Bello, Girardota, Envigado, Sabaneta, Barbosa, Copacabana, Itagüí, La Estrella and Caldas. According to the 2026 projections, the population is 4,212,261.
  • Metropolitan area of Bucaramanga: includes the municipalities of Bucaramanga, Floridablanca, Girón and Piedecuesta, their combined population in 2026 is 1,304,153.
  • Metropolitan area of Barranquilla: formed by the district of Barranquilla and the municipalities of Puerto Colombia, Soledad, Malambo and Galapa, their population in 2026 is 2,298,402, making up 80% of the Atlántico department population.
  • Metropolitan area of Cúcuta: includes the municipalities of Cúcuta, Villa del Rosario, Los Patios, El Zulia, San Cayetano and Puerto Santander, right across the international border with Venezuela, the population in 2026 is estimated to be 1,074,787.
  • Metropolitan area of Pereira or New Occident: within the Risaralda Department, includes the municipalities of Pereira, Dos Quebradas and La Virginia, which combined make up a population of 765,594 in 2026.
  • Metropolitan area of Valledupar: includes Valledupar, one of the fastest growing cities of Colombia, and the municipalities of Agustin Codazzi, La Paz, Manaure Balcón del Cesar and San Diego, their combined population is 767,933.
  • Metropolitan area of Manizales: includes the municipalities of Manizales, Villamaria, Neira and Palestina, within the Caldas Department, comprising a population of 587,611 in 2026.
  • Metropolitan area of Cali: conformed by the municipalities of Cali and Jamundí, in Valle del Cauca Department, and Puerto Tejada in Cauca Department, with a population of 2,510,567.

In 2022, Bogotá and the surrounding municipalities of the Cundinamarca Department, conformed the metropolitan region of Bogotá-Cundinamarca, a special urban planning region according to the Law 2199 of 2022 [21], each municipality has to consult its population their will to join the metropolitan region, besides Bogotá, immediate municipalites such as Soacha, Mosquera, Funza, Madrid, Facatativá, Cota, Chía, La Calera and Sopó, conform the metropolitan region with a combined population of 9,798,717, the most populated region in Colombia.

There are also other non official urban regions in Colombia, most of them conformed by some capital cities and their surrounding municipalities:

Vital statistics

[edit]

Registered births and deaths

[edit]
Year
[23] 		Population Live

births
[24]

Deaths Natural

increase

Crude rate Natural

change

(per 1000)

TFR Life expectancy Mother's

mean age

at first birth

birth death total male female
1998 37,792,164 720,984 175,363 545,621 18.9 4.6 14.3 2.17 70.1 66.1 74.2 26.27
1999 38,454,863 746,194 183,553 562,641 19.3 4.7 14.5 2.22 70.5 66.6 74.6 26.25
2000 39,140,080 752,834 187,432 565,402 19.2 4.7 14.4 2.22 71.0 67.1 75.0 26.25
2001 39,674,811 724,319 191,513 532,806 18.2 4.8 13.4 2.12 71.4 67.6 75.4 26.26
2002 40,190,679 700,455 192,262 508,193 17.4 4.7 12.6 2.04 71.8 68.0 75.7 26.27
2003 40,693,254 710,702 192,121 518,581 17.4 4.7 12.7 2.05 72.2 68.5 76.1 26.23
2004 41,188,093 723,099 188,933 534,166 17.5 4.5 12.9 2.07 72.6 68.9 76.5 26.23
2005 41,671,878 719,968 189,022 530,946 17.2 4.5 12.7 2.05 73.0 69.3 76.8 26.22
2006 42,170,126 714,450 192,814 521,636 16.9 4.5 12.3 2.02 73.3 69.6 77.0 26.16
2007 42,658,630 709,253 193,936 515,317 16.6 4.5 12.0 1.98 73.5 69.9 77.3 26.11
2008 43,134,017 715,453 196,943 518,510 16.5 4.5 12.0 1.97 73.8 70.2 77.5 26.10
2009 43,608,629 699,775 196,933 502,842 16.0 4.5 11.5 1.91 74.0 70.5 77.7 26.08
2010 44,086,292 654,627 200,524 454,103 14.8 4.5 10.3 1.78 74.3 70.8 77.9 26.11
2011 44,553,416 665,499 195,823 469,676 14.9 4.3 10.5 1.79 74.5 71.1 78.1 26.14
2012 45,001,571 676,835 199,756 477,079 15.0 4.4 10.6 1.81 74.7 71.4 78.3 26.03
2013 45,434,942 658,835 203,071 455,764 14.5 4.4 10.0 1.75 75.0 71.7 78.5 26.08
2014 45,866,010 669,137 210,051 459,086 14.5 4.5 10.0 1.77 75.2 71.9 78.7 26.20
2015 46,313,898 660,999 219,472 441,527 14.2 4.7 9.5 1.74 75.4 72.2 78.9 26.35
2016 46,830,116 647,521 223,078 424,443 13.8 4.7 9.0 1.69 75.7 72.5 79.1 26.35
2017 47,419,200 656,704 227,624 429,080 13.8 4.8 9.0 1.69 75.9 72.7 79.3 26.41
2018 48,258,494 649,115 236,932 412,183 13.45 4.91 8.54 1.6465 75.4 72.7 78.1 26.48
2019 49,395,678 642,660 244,355 398,305 13.01 4.95 8.06 1.5915 75.5 72.9 78.3 26.49
2020 50,372,424 629,402 300,853 328,549 12.50 5.97 6.53 1.5330 74.4 71.5 77.4 26.54
2021 51,049,498 616,914 363,089 253,825 12.08 7.11 4.97 1.4980 74.2 71.3 77.4 26.55
2022 51,682,692 573,625 287,251 286,374 11.10 5.56 5.54 1.3760 74.9 72.0 77.9 26.76
2023 52,215,503 515,549 268,411 247,138 9.87 5.14 4.73 1.2305 76.3 73.8 78.9 26.93
2024 52,695,952 453,901 275,778 178,123 8.61 5.23 3.38 1.0669 76.4 73.9 79.0 27.34
2025 53,110,609 76.6 74.1 79.2
2026 53,399,171

Current vital statistics

[edit]
Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January–July 2024 261,029 162,043 +98,986
January–July 2025 243,870 163,711 +80,159
Difference Decrease −17,159 (−6.6%) Negative increase +1,668 (+1.0%) Decrease −18,827
Source:[25]

UN estimates

[edit]

The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.[26]

Year Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Total fertility rate
1950 11,770 551,064 205,952 345,112 46.7 17.4 29.3 6.41
1951 12,090 565,988 205,240 360,748 46.7 17.0 29.7 6.44
1952 12,420 583,360 202,559 380,801 46.9 16.3 30.6 6.49
1953 12,770 600,964 199,936 401,028 47.0 15.6 31.4 6.54
1954 13,130 618,002 198,066 419,936 47.0 15.1 31.9 6.58
1955 13,510 635,597 196,985 438,612 47.0 14.5 32.5 6.63
1956 13,910 653,149 196,894 456,255 46.9 14.1 32.8 6.66
1957 14,330 671,025 190,300 480,725 46.7 13.3 33.4 6.70
1958 14,760 688,958 191,205 497,753 46.6 12.9 33.7 6.72
1959 15,210 705,451 187,724 517,727 46.3 12.3 34.0 6.74
1960 15,690 722,255 186,589 535,666 46.0 11.9 34.1 6.74
1961 16,180 738,333 186,049 552,284 45.6 11.5 34.1 6.71
1962 16,690 752,124 185,533 566,591 45.0 11.1 33.9 6.71
1963 17,210 763,468 184,487 578,981 44.3 10.7 33.6 6.58
1964 17,740 772,893 184,027 588,866 43.5 10.4 33.1 6.47
1965 18,280 776,098 183,487 592,611 42.4 10.0 32.4 6.33
1966 18,810 776,398 182,973 593,925 41.2 9.7 31.5 6.16
1967 19,340 774,512 182,646 591,866 40.0 9.4 30.6 5.96
1968 19,870 769,229 181,980 587,249 38.6 9.1 29.5 5.74
1969 20,390 762,378 180,816 581,562 37.3 8.9 28.4 5.51
1970 20,910 756,293 179,623 576,670 36.1 8.6 27.5 5.28
1971 21,410 751,603 177,215 574,388 35.0 8.3 26.7 5.06
1972 21,910 747,867 174,530 573,337 34.1 8.0 26.1 4.86
1973 22,400 749,007 172,407 576,600 33.4 7.7 25.7 4.68
1974 22,900 752,841 169,838 583,003 32.8 7.4 25.4 4.53
1975 23,400 761,181 167,106 594,075 32.5 7.1 25.4 4.40
1976 23,910 772,388 165,226 607,162 32.2 6.9 25.3 4.28
1977 24,440 783,971 163,447 620,524 32.0 6.7 25.3 4.18
1978 25,000 796,756 162,378 634,378 31.8 6.5 25.3 4.07
1979 25,580 811,077 162,475 648,602 31.7 6.3 25.4 3.97
1980 26,180 819,818 161,752 658,066 31.3 6.2 25.1 3.86
1981 26,790 829,626 162,670 666,956 30.9 6.1 24.8 3.74
1982 27,410 837,994 163,482 674,512 30.5 6.0 24.5 3.63
1983 28,040 842,011 165,467 676,544 30.0 5.9 24.1 3.53
1984 28,690 849,133 167,428 681,705 29.6 5.8 23.8 3.43
1985 29,330 855,217 191,701 663,516 29.1 6.5 22.6 3.34
1986 29,960 861,901 173,581 688,320 28.7 5.8 22.9 3.27
1987 30,600 868,789 178,536 690,253 28.4 5.8 22.6 3.21
1988 31,260 876,126 182,343 693,783 28.0 5.8 22.2 3.16
1989 31,920 884,747 186,089 698,658 27.7 5.8 21.9 3.12
1990 32,600 892,755 190,271 702,484 27.4 5.8 21.6 3.08
1991 33,270 899,439 193,733 705,706 27.0 5.8 21.2 3.05
1992 33,940 901,828 196,248 705,580 26.6 5.8 20.8 3.01
1993 34,610 903,555 197,750 705,805 26.1 5.7 20.4 2.97
1994 35,300 901,290 199,584 701,706 25.5 5.7 19.8 2.92
1995 35,970 897,429 200,808 696,621 24.9 5.6 19.3 2.86
1996 36,630 892,339 202,580 689,759 24.4 5.5 18.9 2.80
1997 37,290 885,195 204,267 680,928 23.7 5.5 18.2 2.74
1998 37,940 879,217 206,553 672,664 23.2 5.4 17.8 2.68
1999 38,590 874,245 209,686 664,559 22.6 5.4 17.2 2.63
2000 39,220 867,516 209,911 657,605 22.1 5.4 16.7 2.57
2001 39,840 859,788 213,177 646,611 21.6 5.4 16.2 2.52
2002 40,450 850,588 212,844 637,744 21.0 5.3 15.7 2.46
2003 41,060 839,623 212,707 626,916 20.4 5.2 15.2 2.40
2004 41,650 827,013 213,860 613,153 19.9 5.1 14.8 2.33
2005 42,220 813,688 214,241 599,447 19.3 5.1 14.2 2.26
2006 42,770 799,623 214,631 584,992 18.7 5.0 13.7 2.20
2007 43,310 787,414 216,353 571,061 18.2 5.0 13.2 2.14
2008 43,820 776,110 216,895 559,215 17.7 4.9 12.8 2.08
2009 44,310 765,905 217,753 548,152 17.3 4.9 12.4 2.03
2010 44,820 758,072 220,750 537,322 16.9 4.9 12.0 1.99
2011 45,310 752,881 224,162 528,719 16.6 4.9 11.7 1.96
2012 45,780 748,734 228,230 520,504 16.3 5.0 11.3 1.93
2013 46,240 744,381 233,264 511,117 16.1 5.0 11.1 1.90
2014 46,680 739,615 238,498 501,117 15.8 5.1 10.7 1.88
2015 47,120 734,664 243,633 491,031 15.6 5.2 10.4 1.86
2016 47,630 730,565 248,057 482,508 15.4 5.2 10.2 1.84
2017 48,350 726,008 252,689 473,319 15.1 5.2 9.9 1.82
2018 49,280 727,649 260,364 467,285 14.8 5.3 9.5 1.79
2019 50,190 733,940 270,504 463,436 14.7 5.4 9.3 1.76
2020 50,930 733,491 335,656 397,835 14.4 6.6 7.8 1.74
2021 51,520 730,233 397,649 332,584 14.2 7.7 6.5 1.72
2022 51,874 723,264 384,947 338,317 13.9 7.4 6.5 1.69

From January to October 2021, 9.5% of the babies were given birth by Venezuelan mothers. According to the entity during that period, there were 505,114 births and 48,075 were to Venezuelan mothers. In 2017, the birth rate of migrant mothers from Venezuela was 0%, but it has been increasing since 2020, when it was 9.1%.[27]

The births in Colombia have decreased, from 2015 to 2020, a 12.5% lower birth rate. In 2021 there were 12 births for every 1,000 people.[27]

Bogotá and San Andrés are the places with the greatest reduction in births, while the departments of Guainía, Vichada and La Guajira had the highest increases, Guainía had an increase of 108.1%.[28]

[29][30] [31] [32]

Current vital statistics by department

[edit]
Total Fertility Rate by region, 2023
Total fertility rate by region, 2023
Total fertility rate by region, 2024
Total fertility rate by department 2023.
Total fertility rate by department 2023.
Total fertility rate by department 2024.
Department (2024) Fertility Rate Crude birth rate Crude death rate Rate of natural increase Registered births Registered deaths Natural increase Life expectancy 2024[33]
Total

(2024)

Rural

(2023)

Urban

(2023)

Antioquia 0.95 1.7 0.9 7.6 5.6 2.0 52,171 38,415 13,756 77.3
Atlántico 1.12 0.8 1.4 9.4 5.4 4.0 26,237 15,034 11,203 76.5
Bogotá 0.83 0.5 0.9 7.2 4.7 2.5 56,541 36,976 19,565 79.3
Bolívar 1.38 1.3 1.7 11.0 4.8 6.2 24,559 10,666 13,893 77.3
Boyacá 1.08 1.5 1.1 7.8 5.5 2.3 10,265 7,265 3,000 79.8
Caldas 0.75 1.4 0.7 5.7 6.6 –0.9 5,889 6,846 –957 78.3
Caquetá 1.31 1.7 1.4 11.3 4.5 6.8 4,819 1,913 2,906 74.9
Cauca 0.97 1.1 1.0 8.0 4.3 3.7 12,600 6,773 5,827 78.9
Cesar 1.20 1.5 1.6 10.6 4.1 6.5 14,802 5,794 9,008 76.7
Córdoba 1.13 1.3 1.5 9.3 4.4 4.9 17,625 8,316 9,309 78.7
Cundinamarca 0.96 1.5 0.9 7.5 4.5 3.0 27,060 16,455 10,605 79.8
Chocó 1.20 0.9 1.7 9.4 3.2 6.2 5,864 1,952 3,912 77.2
Huila 1.38 1.9 1.5 10.9 5.6 5.3 12,983 6,680 6,303 76.6
La Guajira 1.88 2.4 2.1 16.6 3.0 13.6 17,339 3,128 14,211 68.8
Magdalena 1.25 1.4 1.7 10.6 4.6 6.0 15,857 6,939 8,918 76.9
Meta 1.24 1.4 1.4 10.1 4.8 5.3 11,670 5,581 6,089 75.4
Nariño 0.83 0.8 1.1 6.7 4.6 2.1 11,387 7,825 3,562 78.1
Norte de Santander 1.11 1.6 1.3 9.3 5.1 4.2 15,765 8,668 7,097 75.8
Quindío 0.89 1.0 1.0 6.7 7.9 –1.2 3,728 4,458 –730 76.6
Risaralda 0.97 1.6 1.0 7.7 7.6 0.1 7,517 7,393 124 77.0
Santander 1.01 1.5 1.1 7.9 5.4 2.5 18,659 12,718 5,941 78.7
Sucre 1.18 1.3 1.6 9.5 4.6 4.9 9,537 4,661 4,876 77.5
Tolima 1.09 1.5 1.2 8.0 6.8 1.2 11,094 9,418 1,676 76.8
Valle del Cauca 0.91 1.0 1.0 7.1 6.7 0.4 33,055 31,251 1,804 76.8
Arauca 1.25 1.6 1.2 9.3 4.2 7.2 3,002 1,316 1,686 74.6
Casanare 1.14 1.6 1.3 9.8 3.9 5.9 4,642 1,854 2,788 75.9
Putumayo 1.03 1.2 1.2 8.9 3.7 5.2 3,485 1,454 2,031 77.7
San Andrés 1.26 1.5 1.2 9.7 4.8 4.9 601 302 299 71.7
Amazonas 1.15 1.3 1.2 8.5 2.9 5.6 773 263 510 69.3
Guainía 1.58 1.8 1.4 12.1 2.7 9.4 714 160 554 63.9
Guaviare 1.52 2.0 1.1 9.7 3.5 6.2 992 360 632 70.7
Vaupés 2.02 2.6 1.2 10.8 2.5 8.3 545 122 423 61.6
Vichada 1.20 1.2 2.3 9.9 1.8 8.1 1,371 238 1,133 71.1
No information 10,753 4,587
Colombia 1.06 8.5 5.2 3.3 453,901 275,778 178,123 77.46

Life expectancy

[edit]
Life expectancy in Colombia since 1900
Life expectancy in Colombia since 1960 by gender

Ethnicity

[edit]
Main article: Race and ethnicity in Colombia
Ethnic groups in Colombia[34]
Ethnic group percent
Unclassified (Mostly White and Mestizo)
 
 87.58%
Black (includes Mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero)
 
 6.76%
Amerindian
 
 4.31%
Romani
 
 0.006%

Colombia is ethnically diverse, its original people descending from the original native inhabitants, Spanish and European colonists, Africans originally brought to the country as slaves, and 20th-century immigrants from Europe and the Middle East, all contributing to a diverse cultural heritage.[35] The demographic distribution reflects a pattern that is influenced by colonial history. Whites tend to live mainly in urban centers, like Bogotá, Medellín or Cali, and the burgeoning highland cities. The populations of the major cities also include mestizos. Mestizos include artisans and small tradesmen that have played a major part in the urban expansion of recent decades.[36]

The 2005 census (outdated) reported that the "non-ethnic population", consisting of whites and mestizos (those of majority Indigenous American ancestry), constituted 86% of the national population. 10.6% is of black ancestry. Indigenous Colombians comprise 3.4% of the population. Less than 0.01% of the population is Roma. An extraofficial estimate considers that the 49% of the Colombian population is Mestizo or of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry, and that approximately 19–37% is White, mainly of Spanish lineage, but there is also a large population of Middle East descent; among the upper class there is a considerable input of Italian ancestry.[37]

Many of the Indigenous peoples experienced a reduction in population during the Spanish rule[38] and many others were absorbed into the mestizo population, but the remainder currently represents over eighty distinct cultures. Reserves (resguardos) established for indigenous peoples occupy 30,571,640 hectares (305,716.4 km2) (27% of the country's total) and are inhabited by more than 800,000 people.[39] Some of the largest indigenous groups are the Wayuu,[40] the Paez, the Pastos, the Emberá and the Zenú.[41] The departments of La Guajira, Cauca, Nariño, Córdoba and Sucre have the largest indigenous populations.[42]

The Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia (ONIC), founded at the first National Indigenous Congress in 1982, is an organization representing the indigenous peoples of Colombia. In 1991, Colombia signed and ratified the current international law concerning indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989.[43]

Black Africans were brought as slaves, mostly to the coastal lowlands, beginning early in the 16th century and continuing into the 19th century. Large Afro-Colombian communities are found today on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. The population of the department of Chocó, running along the northern portion of Colombia's Pacific coast, is over 70% black.[44] Britons and Jamaicans migrated mainly to the islands of San Andres and Providencia Islands. A number of other Europeans and North Americans migrated to the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including people from the former USSR during and after the Second World War.[45][46]

Many immigrant communities have settled on the Caribbean coast, in particular recent immigrants from the Middle East. Barranquilla (the largest city of the Colombian Caribbean) and other Caribbean cities have the largest populations of Phoenician (Lebanese), Palestinian and other Middle Easterners.[47][48] There are also important communities of Romanis and Jews.[35] There is a major migration trend of Venezuelans, due to the political crisis and economic collapse in Venezuela.[49]

Ethnic groups in Colombia (Estimation)
Ethnic group Population
Mestizo
 
 50.3%
White
 
 26.4%
Indigenous
 
 9.5%
Black
 
 9.0%
Mulatto
 
 4.4%
Asian
 
 0.4%

[50]

Languages

[edit]
Main article: Languages of Colombia
See also: Colombian Spanish

Spanish (of which Colombia has the third-largest population of speakers in the world after Mexico and the United States) is the official language, with 99.2% of Colombians speaking Spanish, and there are small communities in urban areas speaking other European languages such as German, French, English, Italian, and Portuguese. There are 65 indigenous languages and two Creole languages, one Creole in San Basilio de Palenque and one in San Andrés; and also San Andrés is the only place of Colombia where there are three official languages: Spanish, English and a creole language.[51][52][53]

Religion

[edit]
Main article: Religion in Colombia
Religion in Colombia (2014) – Pew Research Center[54]
  1. Catholicism (79.0%)
  2. Protestantism (13.0%)
  3. Unaffiliated (6.00%)
  4. Other (2.00%)
Religion in Colombia – Other studies [55][56]
  1. Catholicism (70.9%)
  2. Protestantism (16.7%)
  3. Atheist or agnostic (4.70%)
  4. Claim to believe in God but do not follow a specific religion (3.50%)
  5. Jehovah's Witnesses and Adventism (1.80%)
  6. Other (0.20%)
  7. The remaining people either did not respond or replied that they did not know. (2.20%)

The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) does not collect religious statistics, and accurate reports are difficult to obtain. However, based on various studies and a survey, about 90% of the population adheres to Christianity, the majority of which (70.9%) are Roman Catholic, while a significant minority (16.7%) adhere to Protestantism (primarily Evangelicalism). Some 4.7% of the population is atheist or agnostic, while 3.5% claim to believe in God but do not follow a specific religion. 1.8% of Colombians adhere to Jehovah's Witnesses and Adventism and less than 1% adhere to other religions, such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Mormonism, Hinduism, Hare Krishna movement, Rastafari movement, Eastern Orthodox Church, and spiritual studies. The remaining people either did not respond or replied that they did not know. In addition to the above statistics, 35.9% of Colombians reported that they did not practice their faith actively.[54][55][56] 1,519,562 people in Colombia, or around 3% of the population reported following an indigenous religion.

While Colombia remains a mostly Roman Catholic country by baptism numbers, the 1991 Colombian constitution guarantees freedom of religion and all religious faiths and churches are equally free before the law.[57]

Migration

[edit]

Immigration

[edit]
Venezuelans as a proportion of total population in departments of Colombia in January 2024

Due to the political situation in Venezuela many of its residents left the country. At the 2018 census, almost 3 million Venezuelans lived in Colombia. They mainly live in the provinces along the border of Venezuela.

Foreign-born population 2018 census
Country of birth 2018[58]
Number %
Venezuela 2,837,900
86.96%
USA 150,124
2.09%
Ecuador 58,111
1.88%
Spain 44,954
1.55%
Peru 5,481
0.57%
Argentina 5,220
0.54%
Mexico 5,088
0.53%
Brazil 4,218
0.44%
Chile 4,182
0.43%
Italy 3,104
0.32%
France 2,954
0.31%
Panama 2,909
0.30%
Cuba 2,383
0.25%
Germany 2,133
0.22%
Costa Rica 1,675
0.17%
United Kingdom 1,591
0.17%
Canada 1,570
0.16%

Emigration

[edit]
Main article: Colombian diaspora

Historically, a sizable percentage of Colombian emigration has also been motivated by the need to escape from political persecution and bipartisan violence during the periods of "La Violencia" (1948–1958), and later due to the effects of the nation's current conflict (since 1964). This has resulted in numerous applications for political asylum abroad.

Colombians have emigrated in comparably high rates to the United States. Other Colombians migrated to Canada and Europe (most to Spain, but also to France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden). Among other locations.[citation needed]

Colombian population living abroad
Country of residency 2020[59]
Number %
USA 1,557,000
40.91%
Venezuela 1,000,000
28.31%
Spain 481,000
8.75%
Ecuador 279,000
5.07%
Mexico 198,500
3.61%
Chile 135,000
2.45%
Canada 86,000
1.56%
Panama 58,350
1.07%
Argentina 50,000
0.91%
United Kingdom 48,000
0.87%
Brazil 43,500
0.79%
Peru 40,500
0.73%
Costa Rica 40,000
0.72%
France 40,000
0.72%
Germany 24,000
0.44%
Australia 22,000
0.40%
Italy 20,000
0.36%
Netherlands 18,000
0.33%
Sweden 15,000
0.27%
Bolivia 13,000
0.24%
 Switzerland 12,000
0.22%
Aruba 8,000
0.15%
Dominican Republic 8,000
0.15%
Curacao 4,500
0.08%
China 4,000
0.07%
Norway 4,000
0.07%
Belgium 3,500
0.06%
Israel 3,500
0.06%
Japan 3,000
0.05%
UAE 2,500
0.04%
New Zealand 2,500
0.04%
Portugal 2,500
0.04%
Austria 2,000
0.03%
Cuba 2,000
0.03%
Russia 2,000
0.03%
Uruguay 2,000
0.03%
Guatemala 1,500
0.02%
Paraguay 1,500
0.02%
Honduras 1,300
0.02%
Nicaragua 1,200
0.02%
Lebanon 1,000
0.01%
Turkey 1,000
0.01%

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Because of rounding of the individual percentages, the entries in this column may not sum to 100%.
  2. ^ This figure for each department compares to a national increase of 12.5%.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Proyecciones de Población DANE". Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Country Comparisons – Population growth rate". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Population and Vital Statistics Report: Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year (2009 - 2023)" (PDF). United Nations. 31 January 2025.
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  27. ^ a b Laura Ramírez (14 February 2022). "Nacimientos en Colombia: 9,5% fueron de madres venezolanas en 2021". Diario AS. Spain.
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  36. ^ Bushnell & Hudson, pp. 87–88.
  37. ^ Bushnell, David & Rex A. Hudson (2010) "The Society and Its Environment"; Colombia: a country study: pp. 87, 92. Washington D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.
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  39. ^ "Resguardos indígenas – Concentra el 43% de los bosques naturales". siac.gov.co (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  40. ^ "Hostein, N. (2010). El pueblo wayuu de la Guajira colombo-venezolana: un panorama de su cultura. Cuadernos de Antropología, 20(1)". Revistas.ucr.ac.cr. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
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  45. ^ Luis Álvaro Gallo Martínez (2011). "Inmigrantes a Colombia: Personajes extranjeros llegados a Colombia" (PDF). rodriguezuribe.co. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015.
  46. ^ Wabgou, M.; Vargas, D.; Carabalí, J. A. (2012). "Las migraciones internacionales en Colombia. Investigación & Desarrollo, 20(1) 142–167". Universidad del Norte.
  47. ^ Vargas Arana, Pilar, and Luz Marina Suaza Vargas. "Los árabes en Colombia: Del rechazo a la integración". (2007).
  48. ^ "The Arab immigration to Colombia". nodo50.org (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  49. ^ "Características de los migrantes de Venezuela a Colombia" (PDF). Observatorio Laboral (in Spanish). 14 August 2017.
  50. ^ "Raza/Etnia a la que pertenece". Latinobarómetro 2023 Colombia. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
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[edit]
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