Colombia
Colombia tops North America for population. Neighbors look to it as a regional benchmark. How does it compare to its neighbors?
Colombia is a country in North America with a population of 49.84M and an area of 1,141,748 km². Life expectancy is 77.7 years.
At a Glance
The numbers that define this country
Life Satisfaction
7.92How satisfied people are with their lives, rated on a scale from 0 to 10.
Land Area
1.11MTotal land area in square kilometers, excluding lakes, rivers, and territorial waters.
Life Expectancy
77.7 yearsHow many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
Life Expectancy
77.7 yearsHow many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
University Enrollment Rate
59.3%Total university and college enrollment as a percentage of the typical college-age population.
Where They Stand Out
Global rankings worth knowing
🤝Inequality (Gini)
53.9A measure of income inequality where 0 means everyone earns the same and 100 means one person has everything.
🔧Airports
661Total airports from CIA World Factbook.
🌱Forest Area
585.4KTotal forest area in square kilometers, including natural and planted trees at least 5 meters tall.
📡Mobile Subscriptions (%)
174The number of mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people.
Did You Know?
Facts that catch players off guard
Ranks #1 in inequality (gini) (lower is better)
Inequality (Gini): 53.9
A measure of income inequality where 0 means everyone earns the same and 100 means one person has everything.
World Bank 2023Ranks #11 globally in airports
Airports: 661
Total airports from CIA World Factbook.
Only ranks #37 in gender pay gap (%)
Gender Pay Gap (%): 0.6%
How much less women earn compared to men, expressed as a percentage of men's wages.
OECD 2024Only ranks #37 in safety at night
Safety at Night: 47.0%
The percentage of people who feel safe walking alone at night.
OECD 2024Ranks #13 globally in forest area
Forest Area: 585.4K
Total forest area in square kilometers, including natural and planted trees at least 5 meters tall.
World Bank 2023Surprised? See how you stack up.
Play NowHow Colombia Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
GDP per Capita
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
World Bank 2023Life Expectancy
Above avgHow many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
World Bank 2023Human Development Index
Above avgThe Human Development Index (HDI), combining life expectancy, education, and income into a single score from 0 to 1.
Our World in Data 2023Internet Users
Above avgThe percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
World Bank 2023Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Test Your IntuitionAbout Colombia
Colombia was one of three countries that emerged after the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1830 -- the others are Ecuador and Venezuela. A decades-long conflict among government forces, paramilitaries, and antigovernment insurgent groups heavily funded by the drug trade -- principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) -- escalated during the 1990s. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization in the 2000s, new criminal groups arose that included some former paramilitaries. After four years of formal peace negotiations, the Colombian Government signed a final accord with the FARC in 2016 that called for its members to demobilize, disarm, and reincorporate into society and politics. The accord also committed the Colombian Government to create three new institutions to form a 'comprehensive system for truth, justice, reparation, and non-repetition,' including a truth commission, a special unit to coordinate the search for those who disappeared during the conflict, and a 'Special Jurisdiction for Peace' to administer justice for conflict-related crimes. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug-trade-related security challenges, Colombia maintains relatively strong and independent democratic institutions characterized by peaceful, transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.
- Location
- Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama
- Climate
- tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
- Terrain
- flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains (Llanos)
- Natural Resources
- petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower
- Natural Hazards
- highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts volcanism: Galeras (4,276 m) is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes; it has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Nevado del Ruiz (5,321 m), 129 km (80 mi) west of Bogota, erupted in 1985, producing lahars (mudflows) that killed 23,000 people; the volcano last erupted in 1991; after 500 years of dormancy, Nevado del Huila reawakened in 2007 and has experienced frequent eruptions since then; other historically active volcanoes include Cumbal, Dona Juana, Nevado del Tolima, and Purace
- Size Comparison
- slightly less than twice the size of Texas
- Languages
- Spanish (official) 98.9%, indigenous 1%, Portuguese 0.1%; 65 indigenous languages exist (2023 est.)
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 63.6%, Protestant 17.2% (Evangelical 16.7%, Adventist 0.3%, other Protestant 0.2%), Jehovah's Witness 0.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 0.1%, other 0.3%, believer, 0.2%. agnostic 1%, atheist 1%, none 14.2%, unspecified 1.8% (2023 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Mestizo and White 87.6%, Afro-Colombian (includes Mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 6.8%, Indigenous 4.3%, unspecified 1.4% (2018 est.)
- Major Cities
- 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)
- Government Type
- presidential republic
- Capital
- Bogotá
- Capital Coordinates
- 4 36 N, 74 05 W
- Capital Timezone
- UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Official Name
- Republic of Colombia
- Name Origin
- named after explorer Christopher COLUMBUS
- Independence
- 20 July 1810 (from Spain)
- National Symbols
- Andean condor
- National Anthem
- "Himno Nacional de la Republica de Colombia" (National Anthem of the Republic of Colombia)
- UNESCO Heritage
- 9 (6 cultural, 2 natural, 1 mixed)
- Overview
- prior to COVID-19, one of the most consistent growth economies; declining poverty; large stimulus package has mitigated economic fallout, but delayed key infrastructure investments; successful inflation management; sound flexible exchange rate regime; domestic economy suffers from lack of trade integration and infrastructure
- Industries
- textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds
- Agricultural Products
- sugarcane, oil palm fruit, milk, rice, plantains, potatoes, bananas, maize, chicken, avocados (2023)
- Export Partners
- USA 27%, Panama 9%, India 5%, China 5%, Netherlands 4% (2023)
- Export Commodities
- crude petroleum, coal, gold, coffee, refined petroleum (2023)
- Import Partners
- USA 26%, China 22%, Brazil 6%, Mexico 5%, Germany 4% (2023)
- Import Commodities
- refined petroleum, cars, broadcasting equipment, aircraft, packaged medicine (2023)
- Military Forces
- Military Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Militares de Colombia): National Army (Ejercito Nacional), Colombian Aerospace Force (Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana, FAC), Colombian Navy (Armada de Colombia; includes Coast Guard); National Police of Colombia (Policia Nacional de Colombia, PNC) (2025)
- Military Service
- 18-24 years of age for compulsory (men) and voluntary (men and women) military (and police) service; conscript service obligation is 18 months or 12 months for those with a college degree; conscripted soldiers reportedly include regular soldiers (conscripts without a high school degree), drafted high school graduates (bachilleres), and rural (campesino) soldiers who serve in their home regions (2025)
- Energy Mix
- fossil fuels: 34% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 1.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 62.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); biomass and waste: 2.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Broadcast Media
- combination of state-owned and privately owned broadcast media provide service; more than 500 radio stations and many national, regional, and local TV stations (2019)
- Space Program
- has a small program focused on acquiring satellites, particularly remote sensing (RS) satellites; operates satellites and produces nanosatellites; researches other space technologies, including astronautics, satellite navigation, and telecommunications; works with a variety of foreign space agencies or commercial space industries, including those of Denmark, India, Russia, Sweden, the US, and some members of the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (2025)
Deep Dive
76 of 128 metricsEvery stat we track, organized by category
Related Countries
Brazil
Ecuador
Panama
PeruCountries with Similar GDP
Gabon
Dominica
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
TurkmenistanCompare Colombia with...
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
BelizeShare a Fact
Share something surprising about Colombia!
How satisfied people are with their lives, rated on a scale from 0 to 10.
Frequently Asked Questions about Colombia
Colombia has a population of 49.84M, ranking #31 globally by population.
Colombia is located in North America. It has an area of 1,141,748 km².
Life expectancy in Colombia is 77.7 years, ranking #71 globally.
Colombia's GDP per capita (PPP) is 21.5K, ranking #96 globally.
Colombia ranks particularly high in Life Satisfaction (#4), Land Area (#26), Population (#31).
Colombia has an HDI of 0.788, ranking #83 globally. The HDI combines life expectancy, education, and income indicators.
Colombia has a population density of 47.2 people per km², ranking #154 globally.
Think you know Colombia?
Compare countries, guess statistics, and prove you know your stuff.