Demographics ofColombia
Population pyramid ofColombia in 2020
Population	52,695,952 (2024 est.)[1]
Density	46.15/km2 (119.5/sq mi) (2024 est.)
Growth rate	0.54%[2]
Birth rate	9.8 births/1,000 population (2023)[3]
Death rate	5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Life expectancy	74.9 years[4]
• male	71.3 years
• female	78.7 years
Fertility rate	1.1 children born/woman (2023 est.)[5]
Infant mortality rate	11.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)[4]
Net migration rate	−6.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023)[6]
Age structure
0–14 years	24.5%
15–64 years	64.1%
65 and over	11.4%
Sex ratio
Total	1.03 male(s)/female
At birth	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15	1.02 male(s)/female
15–64 years	0.95 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.75 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	Colombian
Major ethnic	Undeclared (83.61%)[7]
Minor ethnic	Blacks (9.34%)[7] Raizals (0.06%) Palenqueros (0.02%) Others (9.26%) Indigenous (4.31%)[7][8] Wayuus (0.79%) Zenús (0.64%) Nasas (0.50%) Emberás (0.41%) Others (1.97%) Romanis (0.01%)[7] Not specified (1.35%)
Language
Official	Spanish
Spoken	Languages of Colombia

Thedemographics ofColombia 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 inSouth America afterBrazil, and the third-most populous in Latin America, after Brazil andMexico.

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 froma 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.

According to the 2022 revision of theWorld 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]

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.

^[16]

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]

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	−17,159 (−6.6%)	+1,668 (+1.0%)	−18,827
Source:[21]

The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.^[22]

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 toVenezuelan 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%.^[23]

The births in Colombia have decreased, from 2015 to 2020, a 12.5% lowerbirth rate. In 2021 there were 12 births for every 1,000 people.^[23]

Bogotá andSan Andrés are the places with the greatest reduction in births, while the departments ofGuainía,Vichada andLa Guajira had the highest increases, Guainía had an increase of 108.1%.^[24]

^{[25][26][27][28]}

Department (2024)	Fertility Rate			Crude birth rate	Crude death rate	Rate of natural increase	Registeredbirths	Registereddeaths	Natural increase	Life expectancy 2024[29]
	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

Colombia is ethnically diverse, its original people descending from the originalnative inhabitants,Spanish andEuropean colonists,Africans originally brought to the country as slaves, and 20th-centuryimmigrants from Europe and theMiddle East, all contributing to a diverse cultural heritage.^[31] The demographic distribution reflects a pattern that is influenced by colonial history. Whites tend to live mainly in urban centers, likeBogotá,Medellín orCali, 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.^[32]

The 2005 census (outdated) reported that the "non-ethnic population", consisting ofwhites andmestizos (those of majority Indigenous American ancestry), constituted 86% of the national population. 10.6% is ofblack ancestry.Indigenous Colombians comprise 3.4% of the population. Less than 0.01% of the population isRoma. An extraofficial estimate considers that the 49% of the Colombian population isMestizo or of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry, and that approximately 19–37% isWhite, mainly ofSpanish lineage, but there is also a large population ofMiddle East descent; among the upper class there is a considerable input ofItalian ancestry.^[33]

Many of theIndigenous peoples experienced a reduction in population during the Spanish rule^[34] 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.^[35] Some of the largest indigenous groups are theWayuu,^[36] thePaez, thePastos, theEmberá and theZenú.^[37] The departments ofLa Guajira,Cauca,Nariño,Córdoba andSucre have the largest indigenous populations.^[38]

TheOrganización 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.^[39]

Black Africans were brought asslaves, 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 thedepartment of Chocó, running along the northern portion of Colombia's Pacific coast, is over 70% black.^[40]Britons andJamaicans 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 formerUSSR during and after theSecond World War.^[41][42]

Many immigrant communities have settled on the Caribbean coast, in particular recent immigrants from theMiddle East. Barranquilla (the largest city of the Colombian Caribbean) and other Caribbean cities have the largest populations ofPhoenician (Lebanese),Palestinian and otherMiddle Easterners.^[43][44] There are also important communities ofRomanis andJews.^[31] There is a major migration trend ofVenezuelans, due to thepolitical crisis and economic collapse in Venezuela.^[45]

^[46]

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 inSan Basilio de Palenque and one inSan Andrés; and also San Andrés is the only place of Colombia where there are three official languages: Spanish, English and a creole language.^[47][48][49]

TheNational 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 toChristianity, the majority of which (70.9%) areRoman Catholic, while a significant minority (16.7%) adhere toProtestantism (primarilyEvangelicalism). Some 4.7% of the population isatheist oragnostic, while 3.5% claim to believe in God but do not follow a specific religion. 1.8% of Colombians adhere toJehovah's Witnesses andAdventism and less than 1% adhere to other religions, such asIslam,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.^[50][51][52] 1,519,562 people in Colombia, or around 3% of the population reported following anindigenous religion.

While Colombia remains a mostly Roman Catholic country bybaptism numbers, the 1991 Colombian constitution guarantees freedom of religion and all religious faiths and churches are equally free before the law.^[53]

Due to the political situation inVenezuela 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 ofVenezuela.

Foreign-born population 2018 census

Country of birth	2018[54]
	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%

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 forpolitical 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[55]
	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%

•  This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook (2025 ed.).CIA. (Archived 2006 edition.)

• (in Spanish)Colombian Department of Statistics
• (in Spanish)1951 Census

• Demographics of Colombia
• Society of Colombia

• Pages using the Chart extension
• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from September 2015
• Pages using bar box without float left or float right
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from July 2010
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the World Factbook
• Articles with Spanish-language sources (es)