Colombia: People & Society#
| Population | 47,220,856 (July 2016 est.) |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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. |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 24.57% (male 5,940,903/female 5,659,594) 15-24 years: 17.54% (male 4,216,437/female 4,066,079) 25-54 years: 41.82% (male 9,788,057/female 9,958,982) 55-64 years: 8.9% (male 1,973,215/female 2,230,609) 65 years and over: 7.17% (male 1,412,209/female 1,974,771) (2016 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 45.6% youth dependency ratio: 35.4% elderly dependency ratio: 10.2% potential support ratio: 9.8% (2015 est.) |
| Median age | total: 29.6 years male: 28.7 years female: 30.6 years (2016 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 1.02% (2016 est.) |
| Birth rate | 16.3 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Death rate | 5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Net migration rate | -0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Population distribution | the majority of people live in the north and west where agricultural opportunities and natural resources are found; the vast grasslands of the llanos to the south and east, which make up approximately 60% of the country, are sparsely populated |
| Urbanization | urban population: 76.4% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: 1.66% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
| 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 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2016 est.) |
| Mother's mean age at first birth | 21.4 note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2010 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 64 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 14.1 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.1 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.7 years male: 72.6 years female: 79 years (2016 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 2.02 children born/woman (2016 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 79.1% (2009/10) |
| Health expenditures | 7.2% of GDP (2014) |
| Physicians density | 1.47 physicians/1,000 population (2010) |
| Hospital bed density | 1.5 beds/1,000 population (2012) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 96.8% of population rural: 73.8% of population total: 91.4% of population 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 unimproved: urban: 14.8% of population rural: 32.1% of population total: 18.9% of population (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.48% (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 146,000 (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 2,300 (2015 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 20.7% (2014) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 3.4% (2010) |
| Education expenditures | 4.5% of GDP (2015) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.7% male: 94.6% female: 94.8% (2015 est.) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2014) |
| Child labor - children ages 5-14 | total number: 988,362 percentage: 9% note: data represent children ages 5-17 (2009 est.) |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | total: 18.7% male: 14.6% female: 24.3% (2014 est.) |