Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Colombia

Colombia: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 9.39 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
9.39 million people
World rank
38th
of 236 countries
All-time high
9.39 million people
in 2020
All-time low
5.11 million people
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Colombia, 1950–2020

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M1950198520201950: 5.1M people1955: 5.4M people1960: 5.7M people1965: 6.0M people1970: 6.3M people1975: 6.5M people1980: 7.4M people1985: 8.3M people1990: 9.2M people1995: 9.2M people2000: 9.2M people2005: 9.3M people2010: 9.4M people2015: 9.2M people2020: 9.4M people

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Colombia is 9.39 million people, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Colombia peaked at 9.39 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.11 million people, in 1950.

That places Colombia 38th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Colombia, year by year

Annual values for Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Colombia, 1950 to 2020.
Year people Change
1950 5.11 million people
1955 5.42 million people +5.9%
1960 5.74 million people +5.9%
1965 6.05 million people +5.4%
1970 6.31 million people +4.3%
1975 6.53 million people +3.6%
1980 7.37 million people +12.8%
1985 8.27 million people +12.1%
1990 9.18 million people +11.0%
1995 9.17 million people -0.1%
2000 9.16 million people -0.1%
2005 9.34 million people +2.0%
2010 9.36 million people +0.2%
2015 9.21 million people -1.6%
2020 9.39 million people +1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 5.26 million people 5.11 million people 5.42 million people 2
1960s 5.89 million people 5.74 million people 6.05 million people 2
1970s 6.42 million people 6.31 million people 6.53 million people 2
1980s 7.82 million people 7.37 million people 8.27 million people 2
1990s 9.17 million people 9.17 million people 9.18 million people 2
2000s 9.25 million people 9.16 million people 9.34 million people 2
2010s 9.28 million people 9.21 million people 9.36 million people 2
2020s 9.39 million people 9.39 million people 9.39 million people 1

Countries ranked near Colombia

  1. 35 Spain 10.19 million people compare
  2. 36 Cote d'Ivoire 9.46 million people compare
  3. 37 United Kingdom 9.40 million people compare
  4. 39 Canada 9.07 million people compare
  5. 40 Zambia 8.92 million people compare
  6. 41 Algeria 8.91 million people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Colombia

All data for Colombia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Colombia?
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Colombia was 9.39 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Colombia?
The highest recorded value was 9.39 million people in 2020.
What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Colombia?
The lowest recorded value was 5.11 million people in 1950.
How does Colombia rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
Colombia ranks 38th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Colombia?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Colombia data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Colombia. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-cities-towns-and-villages/colombia/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
Unit
people
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.