Colombia Population
Colombia had an estimated population of 53,425,635 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 28th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.65% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.01% a year.
Colombia at a glance
How Colombia's population is changing
Colombia's population is growing: +1.01% a year, which works out to about +542,012 people per year, or +1,484 a day. Births (13.3 per 1,000) and deaths (5.5 per 1,000) alone would give +0.78% a year; net migration adds about 129,139 people a year (+0.24%). Roughly one in every 154 people on Earth lives in Colombia.
Population of Colombia since 1960
In 1960, Colombia had 15,606,209 people. By 2025 that was 53,425,635 — 3.4× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 33%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 15,606,209 | — |
| 1970 | 20,811,782 | +33.4% |
| 1980 | 26,104,498 | +25.4% |
| 1990 | 32,440,069 | +24.3% |
| 2000 | 39,089,934 | +20.5% |
| 2010 | 44,777,319 | +14.5% |
| 2020 | 50,629,997 | +13.1% |
| 2025 | 53,425,635 | +5.5% |
Colombia from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Colombia at about 1,206,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 53,425,629 in 2025 (44× 1800) and projects 47,080,758 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2050 at 59,385,352 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1,206,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 2,090,483 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 4,034,733 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 11,766,991 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 39,089,939 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 53,425,629 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 59,385,352 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 55,827,985 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 47,080,758 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Colombia
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 53,425,635. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bogotá | 10,624,315 | UN urban centre | 19.89% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Medellín | 3,350,384 | UN urban centre | 6.27% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Cali | 2,700,232 | UN urban centre | 5.05% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Barranquilla | 2,208,021 | UN urban centre | 4.13% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Cartagena | 1,008,584 | UN urban centre | 1.89% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Bucaramanga | 939,291 | UN urban centre | 1.76% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Cúcuta | 848,408 | UN urban centre | 1.59% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Soacha | 655,025 | GeoNames settlement | 1.23% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Pereira | 602,831 | UN urban centre | 1.13% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Valledupar | 574,824 | UN urban centre | 1.08% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Colombia compares
Colombia has almost the same population as Myanmar (54,850,648).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Colombia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #26 |  Kenya | 57,532,493 | +8% | compare → |
| #27 |  Myanmar | 54,850,648 | +3% | compare → |
| #29 |  South Korea | 51,684,564 | −3% | compare → |
| #30 |  Sudan | 51,662,147 | −3% | compare → |
Compare Colombia with any country →
Same region (Latin America & Caribbean): Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile.
Explore around Colombia
Land neighbours (5)
Brazil 212,812,405 · 4.0× the population · compare
Peru 34,576,665 · 1.5× smaller · compare
Venezuela 28,516,896 · 1.9× smaller · compare
Ecuador 18,289,896 · 2.9× smaller · compare
Panama 4,571,189 · 11.7× smaller · compare
Colombia's 5 neighbours together hold 298,767,051 people — 5.6× Colombia's population. The most populous is Brazil (212,812,405).
In its region
Colombia is the 3rd most populous of the 42 economies in Latin America & Caribbean, holding 8.0% of the region's 666,592,570 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Bucaramanga, Cúcuta, Soacha — all Colombia's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Colombia when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.