Demographics of Colombia

Demographics of Colombia
Colombia population pyramid in 2020
Population52,695,952 (2024 estimate) (27th)
Density46.15 inhab/sq km (174th)
Growth rateIncrease 0.8% (105th)
Birth rate15.1 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) (110th)
Death rate5.5/1,000 population (2022 est.) (94th)
Life expectancy79 (34th)
 • male76 (37th)
 • female83 (22nd)
Fertility rate1.72 children/woman (2022 est.)
Net migration rateDecrease−0.65 (2014)
Age structure
0–14 years24.5%
15–64 years64.1%
65 and over11.4%
Sex ratio
Total1.03 male(s)/female
Under 151.02 male(s)/female
15–64 years0.95 male(s)/female
65 and over0.75 male(s)/female
Language
SpokenSpanish, Quimbaya, Chibchas other indigenous languages.

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.

Census

Population history of Colombia
Statoids. National Censuses.
Population census
YearPop.±%
1864 1,694,487—    
1870 2,681,637+58.3%
1905* 4,533,777+69.1%
1912 5,472,604+20.7%
1918 5,855,077+7.0%
1928 7,851,110+34.1%
1938** 8,701,816+10.8%
1951 11,548,172+32.7%
1964 17,484,508+51.4%
1973 20,785,235+18.9%
1985 27,837,932+33.9%
1993 33,109,839+18.9%
2005 41,468,384+25.2%
2018 48,258,494+16.4%
*First census after 35 years
**First modern census
2018 population census final estimate
Note: Diverse sources Census respective year DANE
Source: DANEDANE Simple[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.

2021 Census

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%.

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.

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%.

2018 Census

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

Rank Department Census population Change, 2005–2018 Percent of the total Colombia population, 2018 Population density 2024 population projection
Current 2005 2018 2005 Percent
Absolute Extension km2 Population density 2024 Rank 2024 population
1 1 Bogotá 7,412,566 6,840,116 8.4% +572,450 15.36% 1,587 4,996.6 1 7,929,539
2 2 Antioquia 6,407,102 5,696,183 12.5% +710,919 13.27% 63,612 108.5 2 6,903,721
3 3 Valle del Cauca 4,475,886 4,161,425 7.6% +314,461 9.27% 22,140 209.9 3 4,647,367
4 4 Cundinamarca 2,919,060 2,280,037 28.0% +639,023 6.05% 24,210 146.8 4 3,553,293
5 5 Atlántico 2,535,517 2,166,156 17.1% +369,361 5.25% 3,388 834.5 5 2,827,124
6 6 Santander 2,184,837 1,957,789 11.6% +227,048 4.53% 30,537 77.8 6 2,376,736
7 7 Bolívar 2,070,110 1,878,993 10.2% +191,917 4.29% 25,978 87.2 7 2,264,523
8 9 Córdoba 1,784,783 1,467,929 21.6% +316,854 3.70% 25,020 76.5 8 1,914,778
9 8 Nariño 1,630,592 1,541,956 5.7% +88,636 3.38% 33,268 51.4 9 1,709,890
10 13 Norte de Santander 1,491,689 1,243,975 19.9% +247,714 3.09% 21,658 78.9 10 1,709,570
11 11 Cauca 1,464,488 1,268,937 15.4% +195,551 3.03% 29,308 53.7 11 1,574,506
12 14 Magdalena 1,341,746 1,149,917 16.7% +191,829 2.78% 23,188 65.3 12 1,513,782
13 10 Tolima 1,330,187 1,365,342 −2.6% −35,155 2.76% 23,562 58.6 14 1,380,948
14 12 Boyacá 1,217,376 1,255,311 −3.0% −37,935 2.52% 23,189 56.6 15 1,311,983
15 17 Cesar 1,200,574 903,279 32.9% +297,295 2.49% 22,905 60.9 13 1,395,486
16 15 Huila 1,100,386 1,011,418 8.8% +88,968 2.28% 19,890 59.9 16 1,192,273
17 19 Meta 1,039,722 783,168 32.8% +256,554 2.15% 85,635 13.4 17 1,145,766
18 16 Caldas 998,255 968,740 3.0% +29,515 2.07% 7,888 132.6 19 1,046,110
19 18 Risaralda 943,401 897,509 5.1% +45,892 1.95% 4,140 235.2 21 973,879
20 20 Sucre 904,863 772,010 17.2% +132,853 1.88% 10,917 92.2 20 1,006,044
21 21 La Guajira 880,560 681,575 29.2% +198,985 1.82% 20,848 50.7 18 1,057,252
22 22 Quindío 539,904 534,552 1.0% +5,352 1.12% 1,845 306.8 23 566,048
23 23 Chocó 534,826 440,123 21.6% +94,703 1.11% 46,530 13.0 22 605,478
24 26 Casanare 420,504 293,253 43.4% +127,251 0.87% 44,640 10.6 24 475,144
25 24 Caquetá 401,489 420,337 −4.5% −18,848 0.83% 88,965 4.8 25 428,162
26 25 Putumayo 348,182 310,132 12.3% +38,050 0.72% 24,885 15.6 26 388,716
27 27 Arauca 262,174 232,118 12.9% +30,056 0.54% 23,818 13.3 27 317,398
28 31 Vichada 107,808 55,872 93.0% +51,936 0.22% 100,242 1.3 28 125,477
29 28 Guaviare 82,767 95,551 −13.4% −12,874 0.17% 53,460 1.9 29 100,497
30 30 Amazonas 76,589 67,726 13.1% +8,863 0.16% 109,665 0.8 30 86,318
31 29 San Andrés y Providencia 61,280 70,554 −13.1% −9,274 0.13% 52 1,197.1 31 62,249
32 33 Guainía 48,114 35,230 36.6% +12,884 0.10% 72,238 0.8 32 57,934
33 32 Vaupés 40,797 39,279 3.9% +1,518 0.08% 54,135 0.9 33 47,961
Colombia 48,258,494 42,888,592 12.5% +5,369,902 - 1,141,748 46.2 - 52,695,952

Current vital statistics by department

Total Fertility Rates (number of children born per mother) and the expected number of births and deaths in 2023. Based on the projections and estimates made by the national estatistics authority in 2023.

Department (2023) Crude birth rate Crude death rate Rate of natural increase Total Fertility Rate Expected number of births Expected number of deaths Life expectancy 2023
Antioquia 12.1 6.7 5.4 1.52 83,006 45,900 77.0
Atlántico 14.1 6.3 7.8 1.75 39,491 17,561 76.3
Bogotá 11.4 5.6 5.8 1.33 90,492 44,220 79.1
Bolívar 15.8 6.1 9.7 1.97 35,484 13,611 77.1
Boyacá 12.8 6.7 6.1 1.78 16,658 8,715 79.7
Caldas 11.0 7.6 3.4 1.51 11,467 7,942 78.1
Caquetá 17.5 6.1 11.4 2.15 7,426 2,571 74.7
Cauca 14.3 5.8 8.5 1.75 22,229 9,084 78.7
Cesar 17.3 5.2 12.1 2.09 23,823 7,123 76.5
Córdoba 15.7 5.9 9.8 2.03 29,897 11,117 78.5
Cundinamarca 12.9 5.5 7.4 1.62 44,527 18,760 79.7
Chocó 20.2 5.2 15.0 2.43 12,003 3,076 76.9
Huila 16.6 6.3 10.3 2.14 19,588 7,397 76.3
La Guajira 21.6 7.2 14.4 2.47 22,465 7,453 68.3
Magdalena 16.4 5.8 10.6 2.03 24,579 8,620 76.7
Meta 14.5 6.3 8.2 1.82 16,382 7,166 75.1
Nariño 13.9 6.5 7.4 1.74 23,556 10,965 77.9
Norte de Santander 14.8 7.1 7.7 1.85 25,149 12,013 75.5
Quindío 10.5 8.7 1.8 1.41 5,917 4,887 76.4
Risaralda 11.6 7.7 3.9 1.52 11,226 7,346 76.8
Santander 12.4 6.6 5.8 1.60 29,119 15,438 78.5
Sucre 15.3 6.3 9.0 1.94 15,214 6,234 77.3
Tolima 12.0 8.1 3.9 1.63 16,473 11,087 76.6
Valle del Cauca 13.1 7.4 5.7 1.69 60,707 34,486 76.5
Arauca 17.6 6.4 11.2 2.10 5,509 2,004 74.3
Casanare 16.1 5.1 11.0 1.93 7,532 2,385 75.6
Putumayo 16.5 5.0 11.5 1.95 6,307 1,912 77.5
San Andrés 12.9 7.5 5.4 1.75 806 464 71.2
Amazonas 23.0 7.2 15.8 2.91 1,952 609 68.7
Guainía 26.4 8.5 17.9 3.26 1,491 480 63.1
Guaviare 20.5 7.0 13.5 2.62 2,002 680 70.1
Vaupés 31.0 8.9 22.1 4.35 1,452 418 60.7
Vichada 23.9 5.8 18.1 2.94 2,946 715 70.5
Colombia 13.7 6.4 7.3 1.72 716,875 332,439 77.2

20th and 21st centuries

Colombian census from 1912:

  • On 1912 census estimated 5,472,604 inhabitants.
  • On 1918 census estimated 5,855,077 inhabitants.
  • On 1928 census estimated 7,851,110 inhabitants.
  • On 1938 census estimated 8,697,041 inhabitants.
  • On 1951 census estimated 11,548,172 inhabitants.
  • On 1964 census estimated 17,484,508 inhabitants.
  • On 1973 census estimated 20,785,234 inhabitants.
  • On 1985 census estimated 27,837,932 inhabitants.
  • On 1993 census estimated 33,109,839 inhabitants.
  • On 2005 census estimated 42,888,592 inhabitants.
  • On 2018 census estimated 48,258,494 inhabitants.

UN estimates

According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects 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 .

Total population
(x 1000)
Proportion
aged 0–14
(%)
Proportion
aged 15–64
(%)
Proportion
aged 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

Structure of the population

Structure of the population according to the 2018 census results:
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

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 31% of the total population in 1938, to 57% in 1951 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.

Rank Place name 2023 projections 2018 Census 2005 Census Change since 2018
1 Bogotá 7,875,975 7,412,566 6,776,691 6.61%
2 Medellín 2,573,621 2,427,129 2,223,078 7.19%
3 Cali 2,364,426 2,227,642 2,083,102 2.85%
4 Barranquilla 1,322,933 1,205,284 1,142,451 9.76%
5 Cartagena 931,503 876,885 842,632 6.23%
6 Soacha 778,364 655,025 396,544 18.83%
7 Cúcuta 777,386 685,445 567,559 13.41%
8 Soledad 675,127 602,644 460,745 12.03%
9 Bucaramanga 605,047 570,752 509,135 6.01%
10 Bello 546,902 495,483 358,167 10.38%
11 Villavicencio 531,600 492,052 356,461 8.04%
12 Ibagué 503,558 492,554 468,378 2.23%
13 Santa Marta 496,778 455,299 385,186 9.11%
14 Valledupar 490,252 431,794 299,112 13.54%
15 Manizales 430,259 405,234 353,138 6.17%
16 Pereira 406,676 385,838 371,439 5.40%
17 Montería 407,463 388,499 286,631 4.88%
18 Neiva 354,786 335,994 295,847 5.59%
19 Armenia 300,207 287,245 273,076 4.51%
20 Pasto 319,661 308,095 312,480 3.75%
21 Floridablanca 323,279 280,025 243,773 15.45%
22 Palmira 285,389 275,254 228,056 3.68%
23 Itagüí 273,885 247,918 213,187 10.47%
24 Popayán 277,979 266,561 226,867 4.28%
25 Sincelejo 273,124 249,323 219,655 9.54%
26 Envigado 238,618 215,766 165,462 10.59%
27 Buenaventura 249,730 235,064 292,889 6.24%
28 Dosquebradas 215,644 204,280 169,820 5.55%
29 Barrancabermeja 188,192 177,272 170,821 6.16%
30 Tuluá 190,010 174,951 160,916 8.61%

Vital statistics

UN estimates

The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.

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

Official births and deaths statistics

Year Population Live births Deaths Natural increase Crude birth rate Crude death rate Rate of natural increase Crude migration increase TFR Male life expectancy Female life expectancy
1998 38,012,359 720,984 175,363 545,621 18.9 4.6 14.3 2.745 66.1 74.2
1999 38,585,016 746,194 183,553 562,641 19.3 4.7 14.5 0.3 2.689 66.6 74.6
2000 39,140,080 752,834 187,432 565,402 19.2 4.7 14.4 -0.3 2.631 67.1 75.0
2001 39,674,811 724,319 191,513 532,806 18.2 4.8 13.4 0 2.570 67.6 75.4
2002 40,190,679 700,455 192,262 508,193 17.4 4.7 12.6 0.2 2.510 68.0 75.7
2003 40,693,254 710,702 192,121 518,581 17.4 4.7 12.7 -0.4 2.451 68.5 76.1
2004 41,188,093 723,099 188,933 534,166 17.5 4.5 12.9 -1.0 2.393 68.9 76.5
2005 41,671,878 719,968 189,022 530,946 17.2 4.5 12.7 -1.1 2.336 69.3 76.8
2006 42,170,126 714,450 192,814 521,636 16.9 4.5 12.3 -0.6 2.285 69.6 77.0
2007 42,658,630 709,253 193,936 515,317 16.6 4.5 12.0 -0.6 2.238 69.9 77.3
2008 43,134,017 715,453 196,943 518,510 16.5 4.5 12.0 -1.0 2.196 70.2 77.5
2009 43,608,630 699,775 196,933 502,842 16.0 4.5 11.5 -0.7 2.158 70.5 77.7
2010 44,086,292 654,627 200,524 454,103 14.8 4.5 10.3 0.5 2.123 70.8 77.9
2011 44,553,416 665,499 195,823 469,676 14.9 4.3 10.5 -0.1 2.091 71.1 78.1
2012 45,001,571 676,835 199,756 477,079 15.0 4.4 10.6 -0.6 2.064 71.4 78.3
2013 45,434,942 658,835 203,071 455,764 14.5 4.4 10.0 -0.5 2.039 71.7 78.5
2014 45,866,010 669,137 210,051 459,086 14.5 4.5 10.0 -0.6 2.018 71.9 78.7
2015 46,313,898 660,999 219,472 441,527 14.2 4.7 9.5 0.1 1.998 72.2 78.9
2016 46,830,116 647,521 223,078 424,443 13.8 4.7 9.0 2.0 1.979 72.5 79.1
2017 47,419,200 656,704 227,624 429,080 13.8 4.8 9.0 3.4 1.969 72.7 79.3
2018 48,258,494 649,115 236,932 412,183 13.5 4.9 8.5 9.0 1.952 73.3 79.8
2019 49,395,678 642,660 244,355 398,305 13.0 4.9 8.0 15.3 1.879 73.5 79.9
2020 50,372,424 629,402 300,853 328,549 12.5 5.9 6.5 13.1 1.807 72.1 78.9
2021 51,049,498 616,914 363,089 253,825 12.1 7.1 4.9 8.4 1.749 69.7 76.9
2022 51,682,692 573,625 287,251 286,374 11.1 5.6 5.5 6.8 1.590 72.1 78.5

Current vital statistics

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January - October 2022 477,111 241,360 +235,751
January - October 2023 428,355 220,575 +207,780
Difference Decrease -48,756 (-10.22%) Positive decrease -20,785 (-8.61%) Decrease -27,971

Ethnicity

Ethnic groups in Colombia
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. 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.

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.

Many of the Indigenous peoples experienced a reduction in population during the Spanish rule 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. Some of the largest indigenous groups are the Wayuu, the Paez, the Pastos, the Emberá and the Zenú. The departments of La Guajira, Cauca, Nariño, Córdoba and Sucre have the largest indigenous populations.

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.

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. 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.

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. There are also important communities of Romanis and Jews. There is a major migration trend of Venezuelans, due to the political crisis and economic collapse in Venezuela.

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%

Languages

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 are three official languages: Spanish, English and a creole language.

Religion

Religion in Colombia (2014) – Pew Research Center

 Catholicism (79%)
 Unaffiliated (6%)
 Other (2%)

Religion in Colombia – Other studies

 Catholicism (70.9%)
 Protestantism (16.7%)
 Atheist or agnostic (4.7%)
 Claim to believe in God but do not follow a specific religion (3.5%)
 Other (0.2%)
 The remaining people either did not respond or replied that they did not know. (2.2%)

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. 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.

Migration

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]

Foreign-born population 2018 census

Country of birth 2018
Number %
 Venezuela 837,900 86.96
 USA 20,124 2.09
 Ecuador 18,111 1.88
 Spain 14,954 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

Colombian population living abroad

Country of residency 2020
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

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

Life expectancy in Colombia since 1900
Life expectancy in Colombia since 1960 by gender

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Population

48,637,910 (May 2016 est.)

Median age

total: 27.7 years

male: 26.7 years

female: 28.6 years (2010 est.)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

Under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15–64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate

0.7% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS

170,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS – deaths

9,800 (2007 est.)

Nationality

noun: Colombia adjective: Colombian(s)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.4%

male: 99.1% (2018 census)

female: 99.7% (2018 census)


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