Colombia — Country profile

Roman Catholic 63.6%, Protestant 17.2% (Evangelical 16.7%, Adventist 0.3%, other Protestant 0.2%), Jehovah's Witness 0.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 0.1%, other 0.3%, believer, 0.2%. agnostic 1%, atheist 1%, none 14.2%, unspecified 1.8% (2023 est.)

14.73 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.96 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Mestizo and White 87.6%, Afro-Colombian (includes Mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 6.8%, Indigenous 4.3%, unspecified 1.4% (2018 est.)

2.54 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

-2.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1.7 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

1.94 children born/woman (2025 est.)

5.3% of GDP (2020 est.)

0.54% (2025 est.)

0.94 (2025 est.)

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

59 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

11.508 million BOGOTA (capital), 4.102 million Medellin, 2.864 million Cali, 2.349 million Barranquilla, 1.381 million Bucaramanga, 1.088 million Cartagena (2023)

22.3% (2016)

21.7 years (2015 est.)

50.9% (2018 est.)

3.7% (2016 est.)

description: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red

meaning: various interpretations of the colors exist; one has yellow for the gold in Colombia's land, blue for the sea, and red for the blood spilled in attaining freedom; another describes them as representing sovereignty and justice (yellow), loyalty and vigilance (blue), and valor and generosity (red); another has the colors standing for liberty, equality, and fraternity 

18 years of age; universal

20 July 1810 (from Spain)

civil law system influenced by the Spanish and French civil codes

presidential republic

Independence Day, 20 July (1810)

yellow, blue, red

Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA
Citizens Option (Opcion Ciudadana) or OC (formerly known as the National Integration Party or PIN)
The Commons (formerly People's Alternative Revolutionary Force or FARC)
Conservative Party or PC
Democratic Center Party or CD
Fair and Free Colombia (Colombia Justa Libres)
Green Alliance
Historic Pact for Colombia or PHxC (coalition composed of several left-leaning political parties and social movements)
Humane Colombia
Independent Movement of Absolute Renovation or MIRA
League of Anti-Corruption Rulers or LIGA
Liberal Party or PL
People's Alternative Revolutionary Force or FARC
Radical Change or CR
Team for Colombia - also known as the Experience Coalition or Coalition of the Regions (coalition composed of center-right and right-wing parties)
Union Party for the People or U Party
We Believe Colombia or CREEMOS

Andean condor

32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlántico, Bogota*, Bolivar, Boyacá, Caldas, Caquetá, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainía, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, Archipiélago de San Andres, Providencia y Santa Catalina (colloquially San Andres y Providencia), Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada

ACS, BCIE, BIS, CABEI, CAN, Caricom (observer), CD, CDB, CELAC, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-3, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance, PCA, PROSUR, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

combination of state-owned and privately owned broadcast media provide service; more than 500 radio stations and many national, regional, and local TV stations (2019)

.co

661 (2025)

57 (2025)

HJ, HK

tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains (Llanos)

Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama

3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km)

6,506 sq km (2013)

Amazon Basin

South America

highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts

volcanism: Galeras (4,276 m) is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes; it has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Nevado del Ruiz (5,321 m), 129 km (80 mi) west of Bogota, erupted in 1985, producing lahars (mudflows) that killed 23,000 people; the volcano last erupted in 1991; after 500 years of dormancy, Nevado del Huila reawakened in 2007 and has experienced frequent eruptions since then; other historically active volcanoes include Cumbal, Dona Juana, Nevado del Tolima, and Purace

only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

4 00 N, 72 00 W

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

Rio Negro river source (shared with Venezuela and Brazil [m]) - 2,250 km; Orinoco (shared with Venezuela [s]) - 2,101 km

note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

deforestation from timber exploitation in the Amazon and the Chocó region; soil erosion; soil and water pollution from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions

13.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

2.36 trillion cubic meters (2022 est.)

the Colombian military is responsible for defending and maintaining the country’s independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity but also has a considerable internal security role, which includes protecting the civilian population, as well as private and state-owned assets, and ensuring a secure environment; the military’s primary focus is the conduct of counterinsurgency and counter-narcotics operations against domestic illegal armed groups, including drug traffickers, several factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) terrorist group, and the insurgent/terrorist group National Liberation Army (ELN)

border security is also a focus, particularly with Venezuela where economic and political instability has brought refugees and attracted narcotics trafficking and other cross-border crime; both the ELN and FARC dissidents operate openly in the border region; ELN and FARC insurgents have also used neighboring Ecuador to rest, resupply, and shelter

Colombia has close security ties with the US, including joint training, military assistance, and designation in 2022 as a Major Non-NATO Ally, which provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense, trade, and security cooperation; it also has close security ties with regional neighbors, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru; Colombian military and security forces have training programs with their counterparts from a variety of countries, mostly those from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean (2025)

275 Egypt (MFO) (2025)

Military Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Militares de Colombia): National Army (Ejercito Nacional), Colombian Aerospace Force (Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana, FAC), Colombian Navy (Armada de Colombia; includes Coast Guard); National Police of Colombia (Policia Nacional de Colombia, PNC) (2025)

18-24 years of age for compulsory (men) and voluntary (men and women) military (and police) service; conscript service obligation is 18 months or 12 months for those with a college degree; conscripted soldiers reportedly include regular soldiers (conscripts without a high school degree), drafted high school graduates (bachilleres), and rural (campesino) soldiers who serve in their home regions (2025)

the military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported armaments from a variety of suppliers, including Brazil, Canada, Germany, Israel, South Korea, and the US; Colombia's defense industry is active in producing air, land, and naval platforms (2025)

approximately 260,000 active Military Forces; approximately 150,000 National Police (2025)

Colombian Space Commission (Comision Colombiana Del Espacio, CCE; established 2006) (2025)

has a small program focused on acquiring satellites, particularly remote sensing (RS) satellites; operates satellites and produces nanosatellites; researches other space technologies, including astronautics, satellite navigation, and telecommunications; works with a variety of foreign space agencies or commercial space industries, including those of Denmark, India, Russia, Sweden, the US, and some members of the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (2025)

2007 - first domestically produced technology-demonstration/remote-sensing (RS) nanosatellite (Libertad I) launched by Russia

2014 - second experimental RS nanosatellite (UAPSAT) launched by US

2018 - first RS satellite (FACSAT-1) for military use purchased from Denmark and launched by India

2022 - signed US-led Artemis Accords for space exploration

2023 - second RS satellite (FACSAT-2 or Chibiriquete) launched by US