Nationality:
noun: Colombian(s)
adjective: Colombian

Ethnic groups:
mestizo and white 84.2%, Afro-Colombian (includes multatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 10.4%, Amerindian 3.4%, Roma <.01, unspecified 2.1% (2005 est.)

Languages:
Spanish (official)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%

Demographic profile:
Colombia is in the midst of a demographic transition resulting from steady declines in its fertility, mortality, and population growth rates. The birth rate has fallen from more than 6 children per woman in the 1960s to just above replacement level today as a result of increased literacy, family planning services, and urbanization. However, income inequality is among the worst in the world, and more than a third of the population lives below the poverty line. Colombia experiences significant legal and illegal economic emigration and refugee flows. Large-scale labor emigration dates to the 1960s; Venezuela and the United States continue to be the main host countries. Colombia is the largest source of Latin American refugees in Latin America, nearly 400,000 of whom live primarily in Venezuela and Ecuador. Forced displacement remains prevalent because of violence among guerrillas, paramilitary groups, and Colombian security forces. Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations are disproportionately affected. A leading NGO estimates that 5.2 million people have been displaced since 1985, while the Colombian Government estimates 3.6 million since 2000. These estimates may undercount actual numbers because not all internally displaced persons are registered. Historically, Colombia also has one of the world's highest levels of forced disappearances. About 30,000 cases have been recorded over the last four decades - although the number is likely to be much higher - including human rights activists, trade unionists, Afro-Colombians, indigenous people, and farmers in rural conflict zones.

Population:
46,736,728 (July 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.94% (male 5,967,860/female 5,688,106)
[see also: Age structure 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 17.81% (male 4,234,564/female 4,087,134)
[see also: Age structure 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 41.71% (male 9,653,094/female 9,841,546)
[see also: Age structure 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 8.62% (male 1,885,481/female 2,141,618)
[see also: Age structure 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 6.93% (male 1,349,613/female 1,887,712) (2015 est.)
[see also: Age structure 65 years and over country ranks ]
population pyramid:
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 45.6%
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 35.4%
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 10.2%
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 9.8% (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]

Median age:
total: 29.3 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 28.3 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 30.3 years (2015 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]

Population growth rate:
1.04% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
16.47 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
-0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 76.4% of total population (2015)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 1.66% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
BOGOTA (capital) 9.765 million; Medellin 3.911 million; Cali 2.646 million; Barranquilla 1.991 million; Bucaramanga 1.215 million; Cartagena 1.092 million (2015)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:
21.4
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2010 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]

Maternal mortality rate:
64 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.58 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 17.68 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 11.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 106

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.48 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total country ranks ]
male: 72.34 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 78.8 years (2015 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 98

Total fertility rate:
2.04 children born/woman (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
79.1% (2009/10)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
6.8% of GDP (2013)
country comparison to the world: 85
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
1.47 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
1.5 beds/1,000 population (2012)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 96.8% of population rural: 73.8% of population total: 91.4% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - Improved - total country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 3.2% of population rural: 26.2% of population total: 8.6% of population (2015 est.)

Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 85.2% of population rural: 67.9% of population total: 81.1% of population
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total Improved country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 14.8% of population rural: 32.1% of population total: 18.9% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total UnImproved country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
124,400 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
4,700 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever (2013)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
20.7% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 112
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
3.4% (2010)
country comparison to the world: 108
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
4.9% of GDP (2013)
country comparison to the world: 95
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.7%
[see also: Literacy - total country ranks ]
male: 94.6%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 94.8% (2015 est.)
[see also: Literacy - female country ranks ]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
[see also: School life expectancy - total country ranks ]
male: 13 years
[see also: School life expectancy - male country ranks ]
female: 14 years (2010)
[see also: School life expectancy - female country ranks ]

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 988,362
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - total number country ranks ]
percentage: 9%
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - percentage country ranks ]
note: data represents children ages 5-17 (2009 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 19.1%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - total country ranks ]
male: 14.6%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - male country ranks ]
female: 25.4% (2013 est.)
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 50