Colombia vs Peru
Peru is 13% larger than Colombia.
ColombiaPeruColombia moved onto Peru · Equal-area projection
0.89×
Colombia is 0.89× the area of Peru. Put the other way, Peru is 1.13× the size of Colombia.
 Colombia |  Peru | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaPeru: 1.13× the area | 1,141,748 km²#25 of 194 | 1,285,216 km²#19 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationColombia: 1.55× the population | 53,425,635#28 of 194 · 2025 | 34,576,665#48 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityColombia: 1.74× the density | 47 / km²#137 of 194 | 27 / km²#158 of 194 |
| Urban populationPeru: 1.09× the urban share | 79%#49 of 192 · 2025 | 86%#31 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility ratePeru: 1.21× the births per woman | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 | 1.97 per woman#96 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthPeru: 0.03 points higher | +1.01%#98 of 192 · 2025 | +1.04%#94 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth ratePeru: 1.19× the birth rate | 13.3 per 1,000#104 of 192 · 2024 | 15.8 per 1,000#96 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 5.5 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2024 | 5.6 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Peru: 3.6 points higher | 20.0%#115 of 192 · 2025 | 23.6%#101 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Colombia: 0.7 points higher | 10.2%#77 of 192 · 2025 | 9.5%#82 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationColombia: 2.1 per 1,000 higher | +2.4 per 1,000#35 of 192 · 2025 | +0.3 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadColombia: 6.48× the refugees for its size | 1.49 per 1,000#50 of 190 · 2025 | 0.23 per 1,000#96 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyThe same life expectancy | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityPeru: 1.05× the infant mortality | 10.5 per 1,000 births#109 of 191 · 2024 | 11.0 per 1,000 births#105 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsColombia: 1.5× the doctors per person | 2.54 per 1,000#74 of 178 · 2023 | 1.69 per 1,000#89 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 59.3%#58 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development IndexPeru: 0.006 higher | 0.788#82 of 190 · 2023 | 0.794#78 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaPeru: 1.07× the income per person | $7,900#89 of 185 · 2025 | $8,430#86 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPColombia: 1.37× the economy | $457.41B2025 | $334.86B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Colombia: 1.2× the output per person | $22,640#86 of 184 · 2025 | $18,816#98 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthPeru: 0.8 points higher | +2.6%#116 of 187 · 2025 | +3.4%#89 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationColombia: 3.6 points higher | +5.1%#41 of 176 · 2025 | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentColombia: 1.63× the unemployment | 8.3%#48 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyColombia: 1.67× the share in extreme poverty | 8.5%#48 of 149 · 2024 | 5.1%#54 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Colombia: 14.3 higher | 54.4#4 of 149 · 2024 | 40.1#36 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agriculturePeru: 8.9 points higher | 14.2% of jobs#94 of 178 · 2025 | 23.1% of jobs#76 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryColombia: 3.2 points higher | 20.0% of jobs#77 of 178 · 2025 | 16.8% of jobs#118 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesColombia: 5.7 points higher | 65.8% of jobs#67 of 178 · 2025 | 60.1% of jobs#84 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentPeru: 0.6 points higher | 2.5% of GDP#77 of 184 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#64 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsPeru: 15.0 points higher | 15.0% of GDP#149 of 168 · 2025 | 30.0% of GDP#102 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingColombia: 3.95× the military spending | 3.2% of GDP#25 of 155 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#127 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersPeru: 1.03× the share online | 79%#100 of 184 · 2024 | 82%#91 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsColombia: 1.39× the mobile subscriptions | 174 per 100#11 of 191 · 2024 | 125 per 100#69 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaAbout the same forest share | 54% of land#39 of 192 · 2024 | 53% of land#43 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personPeru: 1.12× the CO₂ per person | 1.80 t a year#107 of 185 · 2024 | 2.02 t a year#102 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyPeru: 0.9 points higher | 29.7%#81 of 190 · 2021 | 30.6%#79 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityColombia: 2.4 points higher | 98.9%#114 of 192 · 2024 | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Peru: 1.69× the air pollution | 18.4 µg/m³#97 of 191 · 2023 | 31.1 µg/m³#47 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landPeru: 4.9 points higher | 17.2% of land#97 of 191 · 2025 | 22.1% of land#69 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landPeru: 0.4 points higher | 2.7% of land#153 of 190 · 2024 | 3.1% of land#149 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressPeru: 1.33× the water stress | 3.6%#133 of 176 · 2022 | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationColombia: 1.86× the rain and snow | 3,240 mm#1 of 180 · 2022 | 1,738 mm#43 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityPeru: 0.45 higher | −0.95#167 of 193 · 2025 | −0.50#140 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionColombia: 0.45 higher | −0.31#104 of 193 · 2025 | −0.76#138 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateColombia: 2.9× the homicide rate | 24.9 per 100,000#13 of 146 · 2023 | 8.6 per 100,000#33 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | OECD | — |
| Capital | Bogota | Lima |
| Currency | Colombian peso (COP) | Nuevo sol (PEN) |
| Official languages | Spanish | Spanish, Quechua, Aymara |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−5 | UTC−5 |
| Calling code | +57 | +51 |
| 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. Colombia sits at about 4° N and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Peru at 9° S is stretched to 1.03×. 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 Colombia bigger than Peru?
- No. Colombia is 11% smaller than Peru. Colombia covers 1,141,748 km² and Peru covers 1,285,216 km².
- How many times does Colombia fit into Peru?
- About 1.1 times: Peru has 1.13× the area of Colombia.
- Why do Colombia and Peru look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Colombia is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Peru about 1.03×. 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, Colombia or Peru?
- Colombia: 53,425,635 people against 34,576,665. Density: Colombia 47 per km², Peru 27 per km².
- Which is richer, Colombia or Peru?
- By gross national income per person, Peru: $8,430 against $7,900 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.07× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Colombia or Peru?
- Life expectancy at birth is the same in both: 77.9 years.
- What kind of government do Colombia and Peru have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).