Colombia at its true size
Colombia covers 1,141,748 km², number 25 of 194 countries by area. Home to 53,425,635 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 1,141,748 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 53,425,635 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 47 per km² |
| Capital | Bogota |
| Local time in Bogota | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 IANA |
| Currency | Colombian peso (COP) Wikidata |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | South America, South America |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | OECD |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +57 |
| Codes | CO · COL · 170 |
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Where Colombia ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#28 of 19453 million people#2 of 12 in South America
- Population density#137 of 19447 people per km²#2 of 12 in South America
- Urban population#49 of 19279% urban#7 of 12 in South America
- Fertility rate#121 of 1921.63 births per woman#8 of 12 in South America
- Population growth#98 of 192+1.01% a year#4 of 12 in South America
- Birth rate#104 of 19213.3 births per 1,000 people#8 of 12 in South America
- Death rate#156 of 1925.5 deaths per 1,000 people#11 of 12 in South America
- Children under 15#115 of 19220.0% under 15#9 of 12 in South America
- People over 65#77 of 19210.2% aged 65 and over#5 of 12 in South America
- Net migration#35 of 192+2.4 per 1,000 people#2 of 12 in South America
- Refugees abroad#50 of 1901.49 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#2 of 12 in South America
Health & education
- Life expectancy#56 of 19277.9 years#3 of 12 in South America
- Infant mortality#109 of 19110.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#9 of 12 in South America
- Doctors#74 of 1782.54 doctors per 1,000 people#5 of 11 in South America
- University enrolment#58 of 14559.3% gross enrolment#6 of 8 in South America
- Human Development Index#82 of 190an index of 0.788#5 of 12 in South America
Economy
- GNI per capita#89 of 185$7,900 a person#7 of 12 in South America
- Internet users#100 of 18479% online#10 of 12 in South America
- GDP per capita (PPP)#86 of 184$22,640 a person#7 of 11 in South America
- GDP growth#116 of 187+2.6% a year#6 of 12 in South America
- Inflation#41 of 176+5.1% a year#4 of 11 in South America
- Unemployment#48 of 1788.3% of the labour force#3 of 12 in South America
- Extreme poverty#48 of 1498.5% under $3.00 a day#1 of 10 in South America
- Income inequality (Gini)#4 of 149a Gini index of 54.4#1 of 10 in South America
- Jobs in agriculture#94 of 17814.2% of jobs#5 of 12 in South America
- Jobs in industry#77 of 17820.0% of jobs#6 of 12 in South America
- Jobs in services#67 of 17865.8% of jobs#7 of 12 in South America
- Foreign investment#77 of 1842.5% of GDP#6 of 12 in South America
- Exports#149 of 16815.0% of GDP#9 of 10 in South America
- Military spending#25 of 1553.2% of GDP#1 of 10 in South America
- Mobile subscriptions#11 of 191174 subscriptions per 100 people#1 of 12 in South America
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#107 of 1851.80 tonnes a person#11 of 12 in South America
- Forest area#39 of 19254% forest#4 of 12 in South America
- Renewable energy#81 of 19029.7% renewable#6 of 12 in South America
- Access to electricity#114 of 19298.9% with electricity#7 of 12 in South America
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#97 of 19118.4 µg/m³#6 of 12 in South America
- Protected land#97 of 19117.2% of the land protected#7 of 12 in South America
- Arable land#153 of 1902.7% of the land arable#9 of 12 in South America
- Water stress#133 of 1763.6% of its available fresh water#8 of 12 in South America
- Precipitation#1 of 1803,240 mm a year#1 of 12 in South America
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Colombia’s area, lit up on the map →
How many times does Colombia fit into…
- Russia: about 15 times
- Canada: about 8.7 times
- United States: about 8.6 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Colombia shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Amazon6,400 km
- Japurá2,820 km
- Orinoco2,140 km
- Magdalena1,528 km
- Meta1,000 km
Summits
- Pico Cristóbal Colón5,775 m
- Ritacuba Blanco5,410 m
- Nevado del Ruiz5,389 m
- Galeras4,276 m
- Alto del Buey1,810 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Colombia. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Colombia
- How big is Colombia?
- Colombia covers 1,141,748 km², which makes it number 25 of 194 countries by area. About 53,425,635 people live there (2025), 47 per km².
- Is Colombia bigger than Ethiopia?
- Colombia is 3% larger than Ethiopia. Colombia: 1,141,748 km²; Ethiopia: 1,104,300 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Colombia?
- Colombia lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Colombia?
- Colombia shares a land border with Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama.