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Colombia Population 2024

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America. It’s the second-largest populated country in South America.  It is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east, Brazil to the southeast, Ecuador, and Peru to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Panama to the northwest.  According to the National Population and Housing Census, the population of Colombia  in 2023 is  52,215,503 (52 million).

Estimated Population of  Colombia in 2024 – 52.5 million 

Colombia  2023 Census
Total Population52,215,503
South America Rank2nd
Urban Population80.4%
Land Area 1,038,700 sq.km (401,000 sq. mi)
Area Rank4th
Pop. Density50 per Km2 
Capital CityBogota

Religion in Colombia

Christianity is the largest religion in Colombia and Colombian constitution guarantees freedom of religion and all religious faiths and churches are equally free before the law.

Among Christians in Colombia Catholics have the most adherents. According to the 2020 report by the Latino barometer,  68.9% of the population followed Roman Catholicism; 16.8% Protestantism; 0.7% Jehovah’s Witnesses, and 0.2% other Christians 

Other Non-Christian-based faiths population is at 0.8% other religions which include 0.1% Jewish population. About 10.9% of the Colombians follow No religion and another 2% don’t know or have no answer about religious choices

There is a small population professing the Baháʼí Faith, Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, Hinduism, and Indigenous religions.

According to a 2020 report by the Latino barometer religion percentage in Brazil is as follows

Religion/Affiliations Percent
Christians  
Catholic 68.9%
Evangelical (no specific) 15.7%
Evangelical Pentecostal 0.7%
Adventist 0.2%
Jehovah’s Witnesses 0.7%
Other Protestant 0.2%
Other Faiths  
Jewish 0.1%
Other 0.7%
None/Agnostic/Atheist  
None 10.3%
Agnostic 0.3%
Atheist 0.3%
Don´t know 1.1%
No answer 0.6%

Source: https://www.latinobarometro.org/

Race and Ethnicity in Colombia

Colombia is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different races, ethnicity, and national backgrounds.

The 2018 census reported that the “non-ethnic population”, consisting of whites and mestizos (those of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry), constituted 87.58% of the national population. 6.68% is of African ancestry. Indigenous Amerindians constitute 4.31% of the population. Raizal people constitute 0.06% of the population. Palenquero people constitute 0.02% of the population. 0.01% of the population are Roma.

White Colombians are mainly of Spanish descent, Italians, Irish, Germans, and French. West Asian Ancestry of Lebanese, Palestinians, and Syrians are also present.

Some of the largest indigenous groups are the Wayuu, the Paez, the Pastos, the Emberá, and the Zenú.

PLOS genetic research determined that the average Colombian (of all races) has a mixture of European 62.5%, native Amerindian 27.4% , African 9.2% and East Asian 0.9%

The racial composition is as follows

Race and EthnicityPercentage
White and Mestizo 87.58%
Afro-Colombian (includes Mixed) 6.68%
Amerindian (Indigenous) 4.31%
Not Stated1.35%
Raizal 0.06%
Palenquero0.02%
Romani 0.01%

Source: 2018 Coloumbian Census

Top States in Colombia by Population

Colombia comprises 32 departments and the Capital District of Bogotá, the country’s largest city. 

#DepartmentTotal Population
1Bogotá7,412,566
2Antioquia6,407,102
3Valle del Cauca4,475,886
4Cundinamarca2,919,060
5Atlántico2,535,517
6Santander2,184,837
7Bolívar2,070,110
8Córdoba1,784,783
9Nariño1,630,592
10Norte de Santander1,491,689
11Cauca1,464,488
12Magdalena1,341,746
13Tolima1,330,187
14Boyacá1,217,376
15Cesar1,200,574
16Huila1,100,386
17Meta1,039,722
18Caldas998,255
19Risaralda943,401
20Sucre904,863
21La Guajira880,560
22Quindío539,904
23Chocó534,826
24Casanare420,504
25Caquetá401,849
26Putumayo348,182
27Arauca262,174
28Vichada107,808
29Guaviare82,767
30Amazonas76,589
31San Andrés y Providencia61,280
32Guainía48,114
33Vaupés40,797
  Colombia36,424,653

Source: Census 2018

Top Cities in Colombia by Population


# City Province Population
1 Bogotá Bogotá 73,87,400
2 Medellín Antioquia 23,82,399
3 Cali Valle del Cauca 21,72,527
4 Barranquilla Atlántico 12,05,284
5 Cartagena Bolívar 8,76,885
6 Cúcuta Norte de Santander 6,85,445
7 Soacha Cundinamarca 6,55,025
8 Soledad Atlántico 6,02,644
9 Bucaramanga Santander 5,70,752
10 Bello Antioquia 4,95,483
11 Ibagué Tolima 4,92,554
12 Villavicencio Meta 4,92,052
13 Santa Marta Magdalena 4,55,299
14 Valledupar Cesar 4,31,794
15 Manizales Caldas 4,05,234
16 Montería Córdoba 3,88,499
17 Pereira Risaralda 3,85,838
18 Neiva Huila 3,35,994
19 Pasto Nariño 3,08,095
20 Armenia Quindío 2,87,245
Colombia Population 2023 | Religion in Colombia