Bolivia vs Colombia
Colombia is 4% larger than Bolivia.
BoliviaColombiaBolivia moved onto Colombia · Equal-area projection
0.96×
Bolivia is 0.96× the area of Colombia. Put the other way, Colombia is 1.04× the size of Bolivia.
 Bolivia |  Colombia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaColombia: 1.04× the area | 1,098,581 km²#27 of 194 | 1,141,748 km²#25 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationColombia: 4.25× the population | 12,581,843#79 of 194 · 2025 | 53,425,635#28 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityColombia: 4.09× the density | 11 / km²#180 of 194 | 47 / km²#137 of 194 |
| Urban populationColombia: 1.1× the urban share | 72%#66 of 192 · 2025 | 79%#49 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBolivia: 1.55× the births per woman | 2.52 per woman#72 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBolivia: 0.34 points higher | +1.35%#73 of 192 · 2025 | +1.01%#98 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBolivia: 1.58× the birth rate | 21.0 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 | 13.3 per 1,000#104 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBolivia: 1.31× the death rate | 7.2 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Bolivia: 9.4 points higher | 29.4%#72 of 192 · 2025 | 20.0%#115 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Colombia: 4.5 points higher | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 | 10.2%#77 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationColombia: 2.7 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | +2.4 per 1,000#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadColombia: 24.8× the refugees for its size | 0.06 per 1,000#129 of 190 · 2025 | 1.49 per 1,000#50 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyColombia: 9.2 years longer | 68.7 years#139 of 192 · 2024 | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBolivia: 1.35× the infant mortality | 14.2 per 1,000 births#88 of 191 · 2024 | 10.5 per 1,000 births#109 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsColombia: 1.98× the doctors per person | 1.28 per 1,000#100 of 178 · 2021 | 2.54 per 1,000#74 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | — | 59.3%#58 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexColombia: 0.055 higher | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 | 0.788#82 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaColombia: 1.79× the income per person | $4,420#119 of 185 · 2025 | $7,900#89 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPColombia: 7.06× the economy | $64.77B2025 | $457.41B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Colombia: 1.76× the output per person | $12,873#116 of 184 · 2025 | $22,640#86 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthColombia: 4.2 points higher | −1.6%#181 of 187 · 2025 | +2.6%#116 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBolivia: 14.4 points higher | +19.5%#12 of 176 · 2025 | +5.1%#41 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentColombia: 2.77× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 8.3%#48 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyColombia: 4.05× the share in extreme poverty | 2.1%#73 of 149 · 2024 | 8.5%#48 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Colombia: 13.5 higher | 40.9#32 of 149 · 2024 | 54.4#4 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureBolivia: 10.5 points higher | 24.7% of jobs#74 of 178 · 2025 | 14.2% of jobs#94 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryColombia: 0.2 points higher | 19.8% of jobs#82 of 178 · 2025 | 20.0% of jobs#77 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesColombia: 10.3 points higher | 55.5% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 65.8% of jobs#67 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentColombia: 1.7 points higher | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 | 2.5% of GDP#77 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBolivia: 6.4 points higher | 21.4% of GDP#129 of 168 · 2024 | 15.0% of GDP#149 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingColombia: 2.64× the military spending | 1.2% of GDP#103 of 155 · 2025 | 3.2% of GDP#25 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 80%#99 of 184 · 2024 | 79%#100 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsColombia: 1.78× the mobile subscriptions | 98 per 100#131 of 191 · 2024 | 174 per 100#11 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaColombia: 1.07× the forest share | 50% of land#49 of 192 · 2024 | 54% of land#39 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBolivia: 1.27× the CO₂ per person | 2.29 t a year#98 of 185 · 2024 | 1.80 t a year#107 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyColombia: 16.9 points higher | 12.8%#127 of 190 · 2021 | 29.7%#81 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityColombia: 2.3 points higher | 96.6%#123 of 192 · 2024 | 98.9%#114 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bolivia: 1.53× the air pollution | 28.1 µg/m³#53 of 191 · 2023 | 18.4 µg/m³#97 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBolivia: 13.7 points higher | 30.9% of land#30 of 191 · 2025 | 17.2% of land#97 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBolivia: 2.9 points higher | 5.6% of land#125 of 190 · 2024 | 2.7% of land#153 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressColombia: 18× the water stress | 0.2%#172 of 176 · 2022 | 3.6%#133 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationColombia: 2.83× the rain and snow | 1,146 mm#81 of 180 · 2022 | 3,240 mm#1 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBolivia: 0.79 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | −0.95#167 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionColombia: 0.88 higher | −1.19#165 of 193 · 2025 | −0.31#104 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateColombia: 5.66× the homicide rate | 4.4 per 100,000#53 of 146 · 2023 | 24.9 per 100,000#13 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | — | OECD |
| Capital | La Paz | Bogota |
| Currency | Boliviano (BOB) | Colombian peso (COP) |
| Official languages | Spanish, Quechua, Guarani, Aymara | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC−5 |
| Calling code | +591 | +57 |
| Region | South America | South America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bolivia sits at about 17° S and is stretched to 1.09× its true area; Colombia at 4° N is stretched to 1.0×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bolivia bigger than Colombia?
- No. Bolivia is 4% smaller than Colombia. Bolivia covers 1,098,581 km² and Colombia covers 1,141,748 km².
- How many times does Bolivia fit into Colombia?
- About 1.0 times: Colombia has 1.04× the area of Bolivia.
- Why do Bolivia and Colombia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bolivia is drawn about 1.09× its true area there and Colombia about 1.0×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bolivia or Colombia?
- Colombia: 53,425,635 people against 12,581,843. Density: Bolivia 11 per km², Colombia 47 per km².
- Which is richer, Bolivia or Colombia?
- By gross national income per person, Colombia: $7,900 against $4,420 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.79× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bolivia or Colombia?
- In Colombia: life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years, against 68.7 — 9.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bolivia and Colombia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).