Colombia vs South Africa: Number of children, working-age adults, and older people
Colombia
4.90 million people
in 2023
South Africa
4.11 million people
in 2023
Colombia rank
28th
South Africa rank
31st
Number of children, working-age adults, and older people over time
- Colombia
- South Africa
How they compare
Colombia currently reports 4.90 million people against 4.11 million people in South Africa, a difference of 790,720 people.
That makes Colombia's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
Colombia ranks 28th and South Africa ranks 31st of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Colombia averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Colombia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 402,299 people | 532,068 people | 129,769 people | South Africa |
| 1960s | 505,227 people | 648,519 people | 143,292 people | South Africa |
| 1970s | 714,842 people | 938,457 people | 223,614 people | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1.06 million people | 1.35 million people | 294,095 people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.49 million people | 1.86 million people | 376,326 people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 2.09 million people | 2.48 million people | 390,583 people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 3.29 million people | 3.05 million people | 237,527 people | Colombia |
| 2020s | 4.58 million people | 3.90 million people | 675,660 people | Colombia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of children, working-age adults, and older people, Colombia or South Africa?
- Colombia, at 4.90 million people against 4.11 million people in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of children, working-age adults, and older people between Colombia and South Africa?
- 790,720 people, with Colombia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and South Africa?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Colombia and South Africa rank globally for number of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- Colombia ranks 28th and South Africa ranks 31st of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of children, working-age adults, and older people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 65+.