Page last modified 20 August 2023
63) Colombia
Community
Area 1,138,910 square kilometres (land area 1,038,700 square kilometres)
Population,
2,951,323 (1871)
3,878,000 (1881)*
4,279,674 (1905)
8,701,816 (1938)
10,701,816 (1945)
11,548,172 (1951)
16,480,000 (1960)
22,060,000 (1970) +33.9%
27,740,000 (1980) +25.7%
34,270,000 (1990) +23.5%
40,400,000 (2000) +17.9%
45,920,000 (2010) +13.7%
50,883,000 (2020) +10.8%
* Including what is now Panama
Ethnicity %, Note, different years may use different racial definitions
|
|
Amerindian |
Black |
Mixed race |
White |
|
1905 |
15 |
35 |
40 |
10 |
|
1945 |
7 |
5 |
68 |
20 |
|
1960 |
2 |
5 |
58 |
35 |
|
1970 |
1.6 |
6 |
71 |
20 |
Religion %,
|
|
Animist |
Christian Protestant |
Christian R C |
No religion |
|
1900 |
20.0 |
0.0 |
79.8 |
0.1 |
|
1970 |
1.3 |
0.9 |
96.7 |
0.4 |
|
1990 |
|
|
93.0 |
|
|
2010* |
|
16.7 |
71.0 |
4.7 |
*Although 90% of Colombians claim the Christian faith, some 40% of these do not practise it actively
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
8.0 |
|
1938 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
29.2 |
|
1952 |
|
47.0 (+30.0) |
123.0 |
17.0 |
43.2 |
3.5 |
37.0 |
|
1962 |
6.8 |
44.0 (+32.5) |
93.0 |
11.5 |
46.8 |
3.2 |
49.1 |
|
1970 |
5.5 |
35.0 (+25.7) |
70.0 |
9.3 |
46.0 |
3.4 |
56.6 |
|
1980 |
4.0 |
32.0 (+25.0) |
42.0 |
7.0 |
40.6 |
3.7 |
63.7 |
|
1990 |
3.1 |
27.0 (+20.8) |
28.0 |
6.2 |
36.4 |
4.1 |
69.5 |
|
2000 |
2.6 |
23.0 (+17.4) |
21.0 |
5.6 |
31.5 |
5.2 |
74.0 |
|
2010 |
2.2 |
20.0 (+14.3) |
15.9 |
5.7 |
26.4 |
6.6 |
78.0 |
|
2015 |
1.9 |
15.5 (+9.6) |
13.6 |
5.9 |
24.3 |
7.7 |
79.8 |
|
2017 |
1.8 |
15.1 (+9.0) |
12.6 |
6.1 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
12.2 |
|
23.1 |
8.5 |
80.8 |
Life expectancy,
45.1 (1950); 44.2 (M), 46.0 (F)
56.7 (1960); 55.0 (M), 58.5 (F)
60.9 (1970); 59.0 (M), 62.8 (F)
65.5 (1980); 62.8 (M), 68.3 (F)
68.3 (1990); 64.4 (M), 72.4 (F)
71.0 (2000); 67.3 (M), 74.8 (F)
73.3 (2010); 69.7 (M), 77.0 (F)
77.4 (2020); 74.6 (M), 80.1 (F)
Population of principal cities,
|
|
Barranquilla |
BOGOTA1 |
Cali2 |
Medellin3 |
|
1800 |
|
21,464 |
|
|
|
1821 |
|
30,000 |
|
|
|
1884 |
|
95,813 |
|
|
|
1900 |
40,000 |
120,000 |
16,000 |
60,000 |
|
1938 |
150,395 |
325,658 |
88,366 |
143,952 |
|
1945 |
206,630 |
443,520 |
135,610 |
219,790 |
|
1950 |
287,000 |
607,000 |
269,000 |
341,000 |
|
1960 |
452,140 |
1,250,000 |
639,900 |
651,240 |
|
1970 |
500,000 |
3,700,000 |
1,022,000 |
950,000 |
|
1980 |
830,000 |
|
1,300,000 |
1,450,000 |
|
1990 |
950,000 |
4,800,000 |
1,480,000 |
1,500,000 |
|
2000 |
1,060,000 |
6,100,000 |
|
2,000,000 |
|
2010 |
1,836,000 |
8,262,000 |
2,352,000 |
3,500,000 MA |
|
2012 |
|
|
3,400,000 MA |
3,731,000 MA |
|
2015 |
|
10,200,000 MA |
|
|
1Bogota was founded by the Spanish explorer, Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, in 1538.� It stands on the site of the Indian settlement of Bacata.
2Cali was founded in 1536 by the Spaniard, Benalcazar.� In 1914 a railway opened from Cali to the Pacific seaport of Buenaventura.
3Medellin was founded in 1675, the city industrialised in the textiles sector after the railways came in the early 20th century.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1948 |
1,456 |
0.65 |
132 |
8.66 |
|
1956 |
3,900 |
1.09 |
|
|
|
1960 |
4,040 |
0.74 |
245 |
8.15 |
|
1965 |
5,790 |
0.78 |
300 |
7.84 |
|
1970 |
7,200 |
0.69 |
340 |
6.48 |
|
1975 |
13,260 |
0.81 |
529 |
6.76 |
|
1980 |
28,050 |
1.00 |
1,022 |
8.11 |
|
1985 |
31,830 |
0.76 |
1,112 |
6.09 |
|
1990 |
40,270 |
0.69 |
1,221 |
5.10 |
|
1995 |
92,500 |
1.25 |
2,526 |
8.40 |
|
2000 |
99,900 |
1.00 |
1,962 |
5.38 |
|
2005 |
146,000 |
1.12 |
3,390 |
7.65 |
|
2010 |
289,000 |
1.93 |
6,250 |
12.92 |
|
2015 |
291,500 |
1.62 |
6,044 |
10.75 |
|
2016 |
282,400 |
1.52 |
5,800 |
10.09 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
51.0 |
|
19.0 |
|
29.0 |
|
1970 |
|
39.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
25.0 |
34.0 |
28.0 |
21.0 |
46.0 |
53.0 |
|
1990 |
19.0 |
26.0 |
35.0 |
21.0 |
|
|
|
2010 |
9.3 |
18.0 |
38.0 |
20.0 |
53.8 |
68.0 |
|
2011 |
|
17.0 |
|
21.0 |
|
62.0 |
|
2016 |
7.1 |
|
32.6 |
|
60.3 |
|
Communications
Language Official; Spanish
Spanish, 99.0% (1990, 2010)
Literacy
10.0% (1900)
32.0% (1918)
51.6% (1928)
62.0% (1951)
68.0% (1960)
81.0% (1980)
88.0% (1987); 89.0% (M), 87.0% (F)
91.0% (1995); 91.0% (M), 91.0% (F)
91.9% (2000); 91.9% (M), 91.9% (F)
94.2% (2010); 94.1% (M), 94.4% (F)
Physical communications � roads and railways, First railway opened 1874. Medellin metro opened 1995.
|
|
Roads (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
Railways (km) |
Medellin Metro (km) |
|
1902 |
|
|
|
|
650 |
|
|
1944 |
|
|
|
9,407 |
|
|
|
1945 |
15,860 |
|
15,306 |
13,808 |
3,100 |
|
|
1948 |
17,975 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
36,374 |
23,763 |
|
|
|
1956 |
26,523 |
150,000 |
80,000 |
|
2,893 |
|
|
1962 |
32,840 |
|
86,659 |
|
|
|
|
1967 |
45,000 |
256,823 |
158,786 |
|
|
|
|
1975 |
|
500,000 |
220,000 |
|
|
|
|
1977 |
50,978 |
|
387.500 |
67,400 |
|
|
|
1985 |
|
1,091,751 |
509,478 |
104,639 |
2,622 |
|
|
1995 |
|
1,800,000 |
1,200,000 |
|
|
|
|
1999 |
112,988 |
|
|
184,495 |
|
|
|
2005 |
|
2,686,000 |
2,883,000 |
|
2,532 |
|
|
2010 |
164,183 |
|
3,949,000 |
|
|
32.0 |
|
2013 |
|
9,734,500 |
4,745,000 |
|
|
|
|
2015 |
204,885 |
|
|
|
2,141 |
|
|
2016 |
|
13,000,000* |
|
|
|
|
*7,400,000 of these were motorcycles.
Electronic communications, TV broadcasting began in 1954; colour broadcasts began in 1979
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
39,283 |
|
42,000 |
|
|
|
|
1941 |
44,981 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1945 |
|
|
175,000 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
500,000 |
|
|
|
|
1959 |
247,298 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
1,971,000 |
|
|
|
|
1961 |
322,486 |
|
2,159,000 |
200,000 |
|
|
|
1968 |
515,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1978 |
|
|
3,000,000 |
1,750,000 |
|
|
|
1980 |
1,075,700 |
|
3,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
1990 |
2,414,726 |
|
5,600,000 |
3,600,000 |
|
|
|
1992 |
|
|
|
|
320,000 |
|
|
1994 |
|
86,800 |
|
|
|
|
|
1995 |
|
275,000 |
20,200,000 |
4,200,000 |
630,000 |
|
|
1997 |
|
|
|
|
|
120,000 |
|
2000 |
7,192,778 |
2,260,000 |
21,600,000 |
12,000,000 |
1,500,000 |
|
|
2005 |
|
21,850,000 |
|
13,000,000 |
1,891,615 |
4,740,000 |
|
2006 |
|
|
|
|
2,488,000 |
|
|
2009 |
7,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
22,538,000 |
|
2010 |
7,200,000 |
43,405,000 |
|
|
5,000,000 |
23,800,000 |
|
2012 |
6,291,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 |
7,115,984 |
58,685,000 |
|
|
|
27,450,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Colombia,
197,503 (1973)
362,917 (1974)
522,000 (1976)
1,400,000 (1980)
1,227,000 (1982)
732,000 (1986)
813,000 (1990)
1,399,000 (1995)
557,000 (2000)
933,243 (2005)
1,405,000 (2010)
2,978,000 (2015)