Demographics of Colombia

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Colombia, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. It is the second-most populous country in South America after Brazil.

Demographics of Colombia
Colombia population pyramid in 2020
Population	51,049,498 (2021 estimate)(29th)[1]
Density	42.25 inhab/sq km (139th)
Growth rate	0.8% (105th)
Birth rate	18.9 births/1,000 population (111th)
Death rate	5.8/1,000 population (178th)
Life expectancy	79 (34th)
• male	76 (37th)
• female	83 (22nd)
Fertility rate	1.80 children/woman (122nd)
Net migration rate	−0.65 (2014)[2]
Age structure
0–14 years	22.5%
15–64 years	64.1%
65 and over	13.4%
Sex ratio
Total	1.03 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
Language
Spoken	Spanish, English and other european languages.

The Demography of Colombia is characterized for being the third-most populous country in Latin America, after Mexico and Brazil. Colombia experienced rapid population growth like most countries, but four decades of an armed conflict pushed millions of Colombians out of the country. However, a rebound economy in the 2000s in urban centres improved the situation of living standards for Colombians in a traditional class stratified economy.

Census

Population census

Year	Pop.	±%
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	42,888,592	+29.5%
2018	48,258,494	+12.5%
*First census after 35 years **First modern census 2018 population census final estimate Note: Diverse sources Census respective year DANE Source: DANEDANE Simple

The population density of Colombia. Red showing concentration of population.

Demographics of Colombia, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

2018 Census

According to the 2018 census, Colombia has 48,258,494 inhabitants within its territory.[3] 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[note 1]	Population density		2020 population projection
Current	2005		2018	2005	Percent [note 2]	Absolute		Extension km2	Population density 2018	Rank	2020 population
1	1	Bogotá	7,412,566	6,840,116	8.4%	+572,450	15.36%	1,587	4,670.8	1	7,743,955
2	2	Antioquia	6,407,102	5,696,183	12.5%	+710,919	13.27%	63,612	100.7	2	6,677,930
3	3	Valle del Cauca	4,475,886	4,161,425	7.6%	+314,461	9.27%	22,140	202.2	3	4,532,152
4	4	Cundinamarca	2,919,060	2,280,037	28.0%	+639,023	6.05%	24,210	120.6	4	3,242,999
5	5	Atlántico	2,535,517	2,166,156	17.1%	+369,361	5.25%	3,388	748.4	5	2,722,128
6	6	Santander	2,184,837	1,957,789	11.6%	+227,048	4.53%	30,537	71.5	6	2,280,908
7	7	Bolívar	2,070,110	1,878,993	10.2%	+191,917	4.29%	25,978	79.7	7	2,180,976
8	9	Córdoba	1,784,783	1,467,929	21.6%	+316,854	3.70%	25,020	71.3	8	1,828,947
9	8	Nariño	1,630,592	1,541,956	5.7%	+88,636	3.38%	33,268	49.0	9	1,627,589
10	13	Norte de Santander	1,491,689	1,243,975	19.9%	+247,714	3.09%	21,658	68.9	10	1,620,318
11	11	Cauca	1,464,488	1,268,937	15.4%	+195,551	3.03%	29,308	50.0	11	1,491,937
12	14	Magdalena	1,341,746	1,149,917	16.7%	+191,829	2.78%	23,188	57.9	12	1,427,026
13	10	Tolima	1,330,187	1,365,342	−2.6%	−35,155	2.76%	23,562	56.5	13	1,339,998
14	12	Boyacá	1,217,376	1,255,311	−3.0%	−37,935	2.52%	23,189	52.5	15	1,242,731
15	17	Cesar	1,200,574	903,279	32.9%	+297,295	2.49%	22,905	53.3	14	1,295,387
16	15	Huila	1,100,386	1,011,418	8.8%	+88,968	2.28%	19,890	55.3	16	1,122,622
17	19	Meta	1,039,722	783,168	32.8%	+256,554	2.15%	85,635	12.1	17	1,063,454
18	16	Caldas	998,255	968,740	3.0%	+29,515	2.07%	7,888	126.6	18	1,018,453
19	18	Risaralda	943,401	897,509	5.1%	+45,892	1.95%	4,140	227.9	20	961,055
20	20	Sucre	904,863	772,010	17.2%	+132,853	1.88%	10,917	82.9	21	949,252
21	21	La Guajira	880,560	681,575	29.2%	+198,985	1.82%	20,848	42.2	19	965,718
22	22	Quindío	539,904	534,552	1.0%	+5,352	1.12%	1,845	292.6	22	555,401
23	23	Chocó	534,826	440,123	21.6%	+94,703	1.11%	46,530	11.5	23	544,764
24	26	Casanare	420,504	293,253	43.4%	+127,251	0.87%	44,640	9.4	24	435,195
25	24	Caquetá	401,489	420,337	−4.5%	−18,848	0.83%	88,965	4.5	25	410,521
26	25	Putumayo	348,182	310,132	12.3%	+38,050	0.72%	24,885	14.0	26	359,127
27	27	Arauca	262,174	232,118	12.9%	+30,056	0.54%	23,818	11.0	27	294,206
28	31	Vichada	107,808	55,872	93.0%	+51,936	0.22%	100,242	1.1	28	112,958
29	28	Guaviare	82,767	95,551	−13.4%	−12,874	0.17%	53,460	1.5	29	86,657
30	30	Amazonas	76,589	67,726	13.1%	+8,863	0.16%	109,665	0.7	30	79,020
31	29	San Andrés y Providencia	61,280	70,554	−13.1%	−9,274	0.13%	52	1,178.5	31	63,692
32	33	Guainía	48,114	35,230	36.6%	+12,884	0.10%	72,238	0.7	32	59,636
33	32	Vaupés	40,797	39,279	3.9%	+1,518	0.08%	54,135	0.8	33	44,712
−	−	Colombia	48,258,494	42,888,592	12.5%	+5,369,902	-	1,141,748	42.3	-	50,372,424

20th and 21st centuries

Colombian census from 1912:[4][5]

• 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 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[6][7] the total population was 49,661,048 in 2018, 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 .[8]

	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

Age structure of the population

Structure of the population according to the 2018 census results:[9]

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.[10]

Rank	Place name	2018 Census	2005 Census	% Change
1	Bogotá	7,387,400	6,824,507	8.20%
2	Medellín	2,382,399	2,175,681	9.50%
3	Cali	2,172,527	2,083,102	4.30%
4	Barranquilla	1,205,284	1,142,451	5.50%
5	Cartagena	876,885	842,632	4.07%
6	Cúcuta	685,445	567,559	20.77%
7	Soacha	655,025	396,544	65.18%
8	Soledad	602,644	460,745	30.80%
9	Bucaramanga	570,752	509,135	12.10%
10	Bello	495,483	358,167	38.34%
11	Ibagué	492,554	468,378	15.16%
12	Villavicencio	492,052	356,461	38.04%
13	Santa Marta	455,299	385,186	18.20%
14	Valledupar	431,794	299,112	44.36%
15	Manizales	405,234	353,138	14.75%
16	Montería	388,499	286,631	35.54%
17	Pereira	385,838	371,439	3.87%
18	Neiva	335,994	295,847	13.57%
19	Pasto	308,095	312,480	−1.40%
20	Armenia	287,245	273,076	13.73%
21	Floridablanca	280,025	243,773	14.87%
22	Palmira	275,254	228,056	20.69%
23	Popayán	266,561	226,867	17.49%
24	Sincelejo	249,323	219,655	13.50%
25	Itagüí	247,918	213,187	16.29%
26	Buenaventura	235,064	292,889	−19.74%
27	Envigado	215,766	165,462	30.40%
28	Dosquebradas	204,280	169,820	20.29%
29	Barrancabermeja	177,272	170,821	3.77%
30	Tuluá	174,951	160,916	8.72%

Vital statistics

UN estimates

The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.[11]

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR*	CDR*	NC*	TFR*	IMR*	Life expectancy total	Life expectancy males	Life expectancy females
1950–1955	697,000	197,000	500,000	46.3	15.3	31.0	6.51	117	51.8	49.8	54.0
1955–1960	892,000	189,000	703,000	46.4	12.7	33.7	6.68	100	55.8	53.7	57.9
1960–1965	983,000	188,000	795,000	45.0	10.8	34.2	6.64	86	58.6	56.5	60.6
1965–1970	1,002,000	184,000	818,000	42.9	9.1	33.8	5.86	75	61.0	58.9	63.0
1970–1975	1,067,000	174,000	893,000	39.7	7.6	32.1	4.72	63	63.4	61.1	65.6
1975–1980	1,022,000	171,000	851,000	38.3	6.7	31.6	4.16	50	65.7	63.2	68.2
1980–1985	1,054,000	169,000	885,000	37.0	6.0	31.0	3.58	38	68.0	65.1	71.0
1985–1990	1,174,000	229,000	945,000	33.7	5.7	28.0	3.17	31	69.4	66.0	72.9
1990–1995	1,219,000	238,000	981,000	30.5	5.7	24.8	3.01	26	70.2	66.3	74.2
1995–2000	1,195,000	221,000	974,000	28.5	5.3	23.2	2.70	22	72.1	68.7	75.6
2000–2005	1,061,000	232,000	829,000	25.9	5.1	20.8	2.44	20	73.7	70.4	76.9
2005–2010	982,000	238,000	744,000	22.8	5.2	17.6	2.10	17	74.8	71.7	77.9
2010–2015	945,000	247,000	698,000	20.1	5.3	14.8	1.92	14	76.0	73.1	78.9
2015–2020	939,000	272,000	667,000	19.0	5.5	13.5	1.82	13	77.0	74.2	79.8
2020–2025	909,000	305,000	604,000	17.8	5.9	11.9	1.79	11	77.9	75.2	80.5
2025–2030	874,000	321,000	553,000	15.9	5.8	10.1	1.75	10	78.5	75.2	81.7
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Births and deaths

[12] [13]

Year	Population	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase	Crude birth rate	Crude death rate	Rate of natural increase	TFR
1985	30,486,000	1,044,032	232,606	811,426	34.2	7.6	26.6	3.95
1986	31,106,000	1,068,495	237,768	830,727	34.3	7.7	26.6	3.81
1987	31,779,000	1,083,265	245,409	837,856	34.0	7.7	26.3	3.73
1988	32,406,000	1,059,076	250,329	808,747	32.6	7.7	24.9	3.60
1989	33,019,000	1,064,982	253,341	811,461	32.2	7.7	24.5	3.55
1990	33,645,000	1,098,726	257,591	841,135	32.6	7.6	25.0	3.52
1991	34,497,000	1,145,923	260,438	885,485	33.1	7.5	25.6	3.57
1992	35,208,000	1,103,298	261,976	841,322	31.3	7.4	23.9	3.54
1993	35,919,000	1,059,723	252,694	807,029	29.5	7.2	22.3	3.47
1994	36,508,000	1,024,236	248,161	776,075	28.0	7.0	21.0	3.42
1995	37,112,000	978,454	244,315	734,139	26.3	6.8	19.5	3.37
1996	37,705,000	952,826	241,164	711,662	25.2	6.6	18.6	3.33
1997	38,223,000	957,640	238,589	719,051	25.0	6.4	18.6	3.29
1998	38,854,000	943,133	236,510	706,623	24.2	6.3	17.9	3.05
1999	39,469,000	949,493	234,875	714,618	24.0	6.1	17.9	2.91
2000	40,066,000	956,133	233,601	722,532	23.8	6.0	17.8	2.88
2001	40,504,000	927,618	232,665	694,953	22.8	5.9	16.9	2.85
2002	41,026,000	903,754	232,088	671,666	22.0	5.8	16.2	2.83
2003	41,511,000	914,001	231,604	682,397	22.0	5.7	16.3	2.80
2004	42,190,000	926,398	231,322	695,076	21.9	5.6	16.3	2.79
2005	42,888,000	903,267	242,207	661,060	21.0	5.5	15.5	2.70
2006	43,471,000	897,749	243,809	653,940	20.6	5.6	15.0	2.61
2007	44,005,000	892,552	245,998	646,554	20.2	5.6	14.6	2.57
2008	44,527,000	898,752	248,575	650,177	20.1	5.6	14.5	2.53
2009	45,039,000	883,074	251,471	631,603	19.6	5.6	14.0	2.49
2010	45,541,000	808,826	254,618	554,208	17.7	5.6	12.1	2.36
2011	46,033,000	819,808	257,950	561,858	17.8	5.6	12.2	2.23
2012	46,514,000	830,780	261,412	569,368	17.8	5.6	12.2	2.10
2013	47,086,000	804,051	264,968	536,083	17.0	5.6	11.4	2.07
2014	47,546,000	823,046	268,651	554,395	17.3	5.7	10.6	2.04
2015	48,095,000	864,098	272,482	591,616	17.9	5.7	12.2	2.12
2016	48,534,000	850,620	276,515	574,105	17.5	5.7	11.8	2.09
2017	49,060,000	859,803	280,690	579,113	17.5	5.7	11.8	2.17
2018	49,658,000	852,214	297,326	554,888	17.1	6.0	11.1	2.05
2019	50,896,000	845,759	303,284	542,475	16.6	6.0	10.6	1.98
2020	51,556,000	839,648	345,019	494,629	16.3	6.7	9.6	1.95
2021	52,246,000	865,491	308,974	556,517	16.5	5.9	10.6	1.92

Current vital statistics

[14]

• Number of births from January–September 2019 = 462,865
• Number of births from January–September 2020 = 447,482
• Number of deaths from January–September 2019 = 169,575
• Number of deaths from January–September 2020 = 204,678
• Natural growth from January–September 2020 = 293,290
• Natural growth from January–September 2020 = 242,804

Departments by birth and death rate

Departments by demographic indicators during 2020[15]

N.º	Department	Birth rate	Death rate	Natural growth rate	Fertility rate
1	Vaupés	32.2	8.7	23.5	4.89
2	Guainía	28.4	6.0	22.4	3.66
3	Vichada	26.0	7.2	18.8	3.29
4	Amazonas	25.0	8.2	16.8	3.29
5	La Guajira	24.6	7.1	17.5	2.78
6	Chocó	22.4	7.0	15.0	2.72
7	Guaviare	22.4	5.2	17.9	2.94
8	Arauca	20.7	5.2	17.2	2.35
9	Cesar	19.8	5.9	13.9	2.35
10	Caquetá	19.5	7.5	12.0	2.41
11	Huila	18.7	7.4	11.3	2.40
12	Magdalena	18.5	6.7	11.8	2.27
13	Casanare	18.3	4.4	13.9	2.16
14	Putumayo	18.4	6.6	11.8	2.17
15	Bolívar	18.0	6.8	11.2	2.21
16	Córdoba	17.8	7.4	10.4	2.26
17	Sucre	17.1	7.2	9.9	2.16
18	Norte de Santander	16.9	7.2	9.7	2.06
19	Meta	16.3	6.6	9.7	2.03
20	Atlántico	16.2	7.2	9.0	1.96
21	Cauca	16.0	7.0	9.0	1.93
22	Nariño	15.5	7.3	8.2	1.93
23	San Andrés y Providencia	14.7	6.8	7.9	1.96
24	Valle del Cauca	14.7	8.3	6.4	1.88
25	Cundinamarca	14.5	6.1	8.4	1.80
26	Boyacá	14.4	7.9	6.5	1.98
27	Santander	13.9	7.1	6.8	1.77
28	Antioquia	13.6	7.3	6.3	1.67
29	Tolima	13.2	8.5	4.7	1.80
30	Risaralda	12.9	8.2	4.7	1.67
31	Bogotá	12.7	6.2	6.5	1.47
32	Caldas	12.2	7.6	4.6	1.66
33	Quindío	11.7	9.4	2.3	1.56
Colombia		15.4	7.1	8.3	1.89
Datos obtenidos hasta: 2020.

Fertility and births

Year	CBR (Total)	TFR (Total)	CBR (Urban)	TFR (Urban)	CBR (Rural)	TFR (Rural)
1981–83		3.65
1986		3.34 (2.81)		2.76 (2.42)		4.88 (3.87)
1990	26.1	2.9 (2.2)	25.7	2.5 (2.1)	27.0	3.8 (2.7)
1995	26	3.0 (2.2)	25	2.5 (1.9)	30	4.3 (2.8)
2000	22.7	2.6 (1.8)	21.6	2.3 (1.7)	25.6	3.8 (2.3)
2005	20.4	2.4 (1.7)	19.0	2.1 (1.5)	24.3	3.4 (2.1)
2010	18	2.1 (1.6)	17	2.0 (1.5)	20	2.8 (1.9)
2015[16]	16.4	2.0 (1.6)	15.7	1.8 (1.5)	18.5	2.6 (1.9)

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[17]

Ethnicity

Ethnic groups in Colombia[18]
Ethnic group			percent
White and Mestizo			86.69%
Black (includes Mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero)			9.34%
Amerindian			3.95%
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.[19] 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. Mestizo campesinos (people living in rural areas) also live in the Andean highlands where some Spanish conquerors mixed with the women of Amerindian chiefdoms. Mestizos include artisans and small tradesmen that have played a major part in the urban expansion of recent decades.[20]

The 2005 census reported that the "non-ethnic population", consisting of whites and mestizos (those of mixed white European and Amerindian 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 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 and German ancestry.[21]

Many of the Indigenous peoples experienced a reduction in population during the Spanish rule[22] 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.[23] Some of the largest indigenous groups are the Wayuu,[24] the Paez, the Pastos, the Emberá and the Zenú.[25] The departments of La Guajira, Cauca, Nariño, Córdoba and Sucre have the largest indigenous populations.[26]

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.[27]

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.[28] 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.[29][30]

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 Lebanese, Palestinian, Phoenician and other Middle Easterners.[31][32] There are also important communities of Chinese, Japanese, Romanis and Jews.[19] There is a major migration trend of Venezuelans, due to the political crisis and economic collapse in Venezuela.[33]

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, 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.[34][35][36]

Religion

Religion in Colombia (2014) – Pew Research Center [37]

  Catholicism (79%)

  Protestantism (13%)

  Unaffiliated (6%)

  Other (2%)

Religion in Colombia – Other studies [38][39]

  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%)

  Jehovah's Witnesses and Adventism (1.8%)

  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, Indigenous religions, Hare Krishna movement, Rastafari movement, Orthodox Catholic 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.[37][38][39]

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.[40]

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.

Today millions of Colombians have returned to their country due to improvements in security, Colombia is now a country on the road to recovery. It is creating an economy that is today considered attractive and prosperous by many national and international investors. There are policies of the Colombian Government to help Colombians with housing loans. There is a support system for returning migrants. Certificates of competency are issued and there is a free employment service to help people find a job.[41][42][43][44]

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[45]

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)

Notes

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

1. "Proyecciones de Población DANE".
2. "CIA – The World Factbook – Rank Order – Net migration rate". CIA. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
3. "Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2018". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística - DANE. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
4. "La historia del censo en Colombia" Archived 5 December 2012 at Archive.today. Caracol. 28 September 2005. Consulted 16 April 2012.
5. "Entrega de resultados Censo nacional de población y vivienda (CNPV)- 2018" (PDF). Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística - DANE. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
6. ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
7. ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
8. "World Population Prospects". Population Division - United Nations. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
9. "Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2018 - Herramientas - Explorador de datos". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística - DANE. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
10. "Población ajustada por cobertura - Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2018". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística - DANE. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
11. "World Population Prospects 2019". United Nations - Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Dynamics. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
12. "Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE)". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística - DANE. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
13. "Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) - Estimaciones del Cambio Demográfico 1950-2018". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística - DANE. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
14. "Nacimientos y Defunciones". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística - DANE. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
15. "Proyecciones de los componentes del cambio demográfico por área a nivel nacional 2018-2070 y departamental 2018-2050". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
16. "Ministerio de Salud y Profamilia entregan resultados de la ENDS 2015". Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
17. "MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys". Microdata.worldbank.org. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
18. "Ethnic groups of Colombia". 2018 National Population and Housing Census. Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística - DANE. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
19. "The ethnic and cultural diversity of Colombia" (PDF). pedagogica.edu.co (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
20. Bushnell & Hudson, pp. 87–88.
21. 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.
22. "Society and slavery". colombia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 September 2013.
23. "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.
24. "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.
25. "Los pueblos indígenas de Colombia en el umbral del nuevo milenio. Población, cultura y territorio: bases para el fortalecimiento social y económico de los pueblos indígenas". dnp.gov.co. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
26. "visibilización estadística de los grupos étnicos" (PDF). Censo General 2005. Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE). Retrieved 15 June 2013.
27. "Ratifications for Colombia". International Labour Organization. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
28. "Ethnic groups in Colombia" (PDF) (in Spanish). Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística - DANE. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
29. 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.
30. Wabgou, M.; Vargas, D.; Carabalí, J. A. (2012). "Las migraciones internacionales en Colombia. Investigación & Desarrollo, 20(1) 142–167". Universidad del Norte.
31. Vargas Arana, Pilar, and Luz Marina Suaza Vargas. "Los árabes en Colombia: Del rechazo a la integración". (2007).
32. "The Arab immigration to Colombia". nodo50.org (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 January 2014.
33. "Características de los migrantes de Venezuela a Colombia" (PDF). Observatorio Laboral (in Spanish). 14 August 2017.
34. "Languages of Colombia" (in Spanish). banrepcultural.org. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
35. "Jon Landaburu, Especialista de las lenguas de Colombia" (in Spanish). ambafrance-co.org. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
36. "Map of the languages of Colombia" (in Spanish). lenguasdecolombia.gov.co. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
37. "Religion in Latin America, Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region". pewforum.org. Pew Research Center. 13 November 2014.
38. Beltrán Cely; William Mauricio (2013). "Del monopolio católico a la explosión pentecostal'" (PDF) (in Spanish). Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Centro de Estudios Sociales (CES), Maestría en Sociología. ISBN 978-958-761-465-7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
39. Beltrán Cely; William Mauricio. "Descripción cuantitativa de la pluralización religiosa en Colombia" (PDF). Universitas humanística 73 (2012): 201–238. – bdigital.unal.edu.co. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
40. Colombian Constitution of 1991 (Title II – Concerning rights, guarantees, and duties – Chapter I – Concerning fundamental rights – Article 19)
41. "Can Young People Rebuild Colombia's Social Capital?". theglobalist.com. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
42. "Opportunities for Colombians who are returning to the country". conexioncolombia.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
43. "Colombia provides opportunities for the development of its citizens in the country". conexioncolombia.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
44. "Entrepreneurship and employment programme for those who return to the country". elempleo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 July 2013.
45. "The World Factbook". CIA. Retrieved 7 July 2016.

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document: "2006 edition".

External links

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