Editing Colombia (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Colombia}}
{{See also|List of Colombian departments by population}}
[[File:Densidad pop col only Colombia.png|thumb|[[Population density]] of Colombia in 2013]]
[[File:Colombia población.png|thumb|Population history of Colombia]]

With an estimated 50&nbsp;million people in 2020, Colombia is the [[List of countries by population|third-most populous country]] in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico.<ref name="PopulationProjections">{{cite web |url=https://www.dane.gov.co/files/censo2018/proyecciones-de-poblacion/anexos-proyecciones-pob-dptos-area-grupos-de-edad-2018-2023.xlsx |title=¿Cuántos somos? |publisher=Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) |access-date=26 March 2020 |archive-date=27 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327040110/https://www.dane.gov.co/files/censo2018/proyecciones-de-poblacion/anexos-proyecciones-pob-dptos-area-grupos-de-edad-2018-2023.xlsx |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the beginning of the 20th century, Colombia's population was approximately 4&nbsp;million.<ref>"[http://countrystudies.us/colombia/35.htm Colombia – Population] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116145835/http://countrystudies.us/colombia/35.htm |date=16 January 2013 }}". [[Library of Congress Country Studies]].</ref> Since the early 1970s Colombia has experienced steady declines in its fertility, mortality, and population growth rates. The population growth rate for 2016 is estimated to be 0.9%.<ref name="Population growth">{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW?locations=CO|title=Population growth (annual %)|publisher=World Bank|access-date=15 January 2018|archive-date=16 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116020705/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW?locations=CO|url-status=live}}</ref> About 26.8% of the population were 15 years old or younger, 65.7% were between 15 and 64 years old, and 7.4% were over 65 years old. The proportion of older persons in the total population has begun to increase substantially.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://profamilia.org.co/docs/Libro%20RESUMEN%20EJECUTIVO.pdf|title=Encuesta Nacional de Demografía y Salud (ENDS)|publisher=profamilia.org.co|access-date=5 May 2017|language=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408150728/http://profamilia.org.co/docs/Libro%20RESUMEN%20EJECUTIVO.pdf|archive-date=8 April 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Colombia is projected to have a population of 55.3&nbsp;million by 2050.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cepal.org/en/long-term-population-estimates-and-projections-1950-2100|title=Long term population estimates and projections 1950–2100|publisher=cepal.org|access-date=17 June 2016|archive-date=18 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618072643/http://www.cepal.org/en/long-term-population-estimates-and-projections-1950-2100|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Estimates for the population of the area that is now Colombia range between 2.5 and 12 million people in 1500; estimates between the extremes include figures of 6<ref name="JaramilloUribe1989" /> and 7 million. With the Spanish conquest, the region's population had collapsed to around 1.2 million people in 1600, for an estimated decrease of 52–90%. By the end of the colonial period, it had declined further to around 800,000; it began rising in the early 19th century to around 1.4 million, where it would drop again in the [[Colombian War of Independence]] to between 1 and 1.2 million. The country's population did not recover to pre-conquest levels until the 1940s, nearly 450 years after its 16th-century peak.<ref name="PoblacioCol">{{Cite web |url=https://www.banrep.gov.co/sites/default/files/paginas/lbr_colonial_graficos3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=8 February 2024 |archive-date=19 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119200112/https://www.banrep.gov.co/sites/default/files/paginas/lbr_colonial_graficos3.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The population is concentrated in the [[Andean Region of Colombia|Andean highlands]] and along the [[Caribbean Region of Colombia|Caribbean coast]], also the population densities are generally higher in the Andean region. The nine eastern lowland departments, comprising about 54% of Colombia's area, have less than 6% of the population.<ref name="populationbyregions">{{cite web|url=https://geoportal.dane.gov.co/atlasestadistico/pages/tome01/tm01itm17.html|title=Distribution of the population by regions|publisher=geoportal.dane.gov.co|access-date=17 June 2016|archive-date=17 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617225957/https://geoportal.dane.gov.co/atlasestadistico/pages/tome01/tm01itm17.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Population density">{{cite web|url=https://geoportal.dane.gov.co/atlasestadistico/pages/tome01/tm01itm16.html|title=Population density of Colombia|publisher=geoportal.dane.gov.co|access-date=17 June 2016|archive-date=17 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617225927/https://geoportal.dane.gov.co/atlasestadistico/pages/tome01/tm01itm16.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Traditionally a rural society, [[Urbanization|movement to urban areas]] was very heavy in the mid-20th century, and Colombia is now one of the most urbanized countries in Latin America. The urban population increased from 31% of the total in 1938 to nearly 60% in 1973, and by 2014 the figure stood at 76%.<ref name="Country Study">{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/colombia/36.htm |title=Colombia: A Country Study |publisher=Countrystudies.us |access-date=16 May 2010 |archive-date=7 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407023454/http://countrystudies.us/colombia/36.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/Highlights/WUP2014-Highlights.pdf |title=World Urbanization Prospects |publisher=un.org |access-date=10 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102043800/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/Highlights/WUP2014-Highlights.pdf |archive-date=2 November 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The population of [[Bogotá]] alone has increased from just over 300,000 in 1938 to approximately 8&nbsp;million today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.banrepcultural.org/blaavirtual/revistas/credencial/agosto2008/bogota.htm|title=Bogotá: de paso por la capital|publisher=Revista Credencial Historia|author=León Soler, Natalia|access-date=17 June 2016|language=es|archive-date=18 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618004654/http://www.banrepcultural.org/blaavirtual/revistas/credencial/agosto2008/bogota.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> In total seventy-two cities now have populations of 100,000 or more (2015). {{As of|2012}} Colombia has the world's largest populations of [[internally displaced person]]s (IDPs), estimated to be up to 4.9&nbsp;million people.<ref name="UNHCR">{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c23.html|title=Internally Displaced People Figures|publisher=The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|access-date=18 May 2014|archive-date=18 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518072653/http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c23.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The life expectancy was 74.8 years in 2015, and infant mortality was 13.1 per thousand in 2016.<ref name="Life expectancy at birth">{{cite web|title=Life expectancy at birth|url=https://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.688|publisher=who.int|access-date=13 July 2021|archive-date=5 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130305150130/https://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.688|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="infant mortality">{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN|title=Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births)|publisher=World Bank|access-date=15 January 2018|archive-date=21 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021085117/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, 94.58% of adults and 98.66% of youth are literate and the government spends about 4.49% of its GDP on education.<ref name="UNESCO" />

===Languages===
{{Main|Languages of Colombia}}
{{See also|Colombian Spanish}}
Around 99.2% of Colombians speak Spanish, also called Castilian; 65 [[Amerindian language]]s, two [[Creole languages]], the [[Romani language]] and [[Colombian Sign Language]] are also used in the country. [[English language|English]] has official status in the [[archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina]].<ref name="LEY47DE1993" /><ref name="lenguas indígenas">{{cite web|url=http://www.banrepcultural.org/blaavirtual/antropologia/lengua/clas2.htm|title=Languages of Colombia|publisher=banrepcultural.org|language=es|access-date=9 October 2013|archive-date=29 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929200029/http://www.banrepcultural.org/blaavirtual/antropologia/lengua/clas2.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Languages of Colombia">{{cite web|url=http://www.ambafrance-co.org/Jon-Landaburu-Especialista-de-las|title=Jon Landaburu, Especialista de las lenguas de Colombia|publisher=ambafrance-co.org|language=es|access-date=9 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216191247/http://www.ambafrance-co.org/Jon-Landaburu-Especialista-de-las|archive-date=16 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="MapofthelanguagesofColombia">{{cite web|url=http://www.lenguasdecolombia.gov.co/mapalenguas/inicio.swf|title=Map of the languages of Colombia|publisher=lenguasdecolombia.gov.co|language=es|access-date=9 October 2013|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010222341/http://www.lenguasdecolombia.gov.co/mapalenguas/inicio.swf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Including Spanish, a total of 101 languages are listed for Colombia in the [[Ethnologue]] database. The specific number of spoken languages varies slightly since some authors consider as different languages what others consider to be varieties or dialects of the same language. Best estimates recorded 71 languages that are spoken in-country today&nbsp;– most of which belong to the [[Chibchan languages|Chibchan]], [[Tucanoan languages|Tucanoan]], [[Bora–Witoto languages|Bora–Witoto]], [[Guajiboan languages|Guajiboan]], [[Arawakan languages|Arawakan]], [[Cariban languages|Cariban]], [[Barbacoan languages|Barbacoan]], and [[Piaroa–Saliban languages|Saliban]] language families. There are currently more than 850,000 speakers of native languages.<ref name="ethnologue">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/country/CO|title=The Languages of Colombia|work=Ethnologue (Free All) |publisher=Ethnologue.com|access-date=16 May 2010|archive-date=7 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307132656/http://www.ethnologue.com/country/CO|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nativelanguages">{{cite web|url=http://www.lenguasdecolombia.gov.co/content/ley-de-lenguas-nativas |title=Native languages of Colombia |publisher=lenguasdecolombia.gov.co |language=es |access-date=25 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326080213/https://www.lenguasdecolombia.gov.co/content/ley-de-lenguas-nativas |archive-date=26 March 2014}}</ref>

=== Ethnic groups ===
{{main|Race and ethnicity in Colombia}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Ethnic groups in Colombia - '''[[2018 Colombian census|2018 Census]]'''<ref name="grupos étnicos">{{cite web|title=visibilización estadística de los grupos étnicos|url=https://geoportal.dane.gov.co/geovisores/sociedad/cnpv-2018/?lt=4.456007353293281&lg=-73.2781601239999&z=5|work=Censo General 2018|publisher=Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE)|access-date=10 February 2020|archive-date=16 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816231845/https://geoportal.dane.gov.co/geovisores/sociedad/cnpv-2018/?lt=4.456007353293281&lg=-73.2781601239999&z=5|url-status=live}}</ref>

|label1 = [[Mestizo Colombians|Mestizo]]-[[White Colombians|White]]
|value1 = 87.58
|color1 = #008080

|label2= [[Afro-Colombian]] (includes [[Mulatto|mixed]])
|value2 = 6.68
|color2 = #FFBF00

|label3= [[Indigenous peoples in Colombia|Amerindian]]
|value3 = 4.31
|color3 = #1C39BB

|label4= Not stated
|value4 = 1.35
|color4 = #008080

|label5= [[Raizal]]
|value5 = 0.06
|color5 = #FFBF00

|label6= [[Palenquero]]
|value6 = 0.02
|color6 = #008080

|label7= [[Romani People|Romani]]
|value7 = 0.01
|color7 = #808080
}}

Colombia is ethnically diverse, its people descending from the original [[Indigenous peoples in Colombia|Native]] inhabitants, Spanish conquistadors, [[African Colombian|Africans]] originally brought to the country as slaves, and 20th-century [[European diaspora|immigrants from Europe]] and the [[Arab Colombians|Middle East]], all contributing to a diverse cultural heritage.<ref name="Colombia is ethnically diverse">{{cite web |url=http://www.pedagogica.edu.co/storage/ps/articulos/pedysab15_09arti.pdf |title=The ethnic and cultural diversity of Colombia |publisher=pedagogica.edu.co |language=es |access-date=26 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327221138/http://www.pedagogica.edu.co/storage/ps/articulos/pedysab15_09arti.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2014  }}</ref> The demographic distribution reflects a pattern that is influenced by colonial history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://historico.unperiodico.unal.edu.co/ediciones/105/15.html |title=Mapa genético de los colombianos |publisher=historico.unperiodico.unal.edu.co |language=es |access-date=17 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617204901/http://historico.unperiodico.unal.edu.co/ediciones/105/15.html |archive-date=17 June 2016  }}</ref> Whites live all throughout the country, mainly in urban centers and the burgeoning highland and coastal cities. The populations of the major cities also include mestizos. [[Mestizo Colombian|Mestizo]] ''campesinos'' (people living in rural areas) also live in the Andean highlands where some Spanish conquerors mixed with the women of Amerindian [[chiefdoms]]. Mestizos include artisans and small tradesmen that have played a major part in the urban expansion of recent decades.<ref>Bushnell & Hudson, pp. 87–88.</ref><ref name="grupos étnicos" /> In a study by the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Colombians have an average ancestry of 47% Amerindian DNA, 42% European DNA, and 11% African DNA.<ref name=Rojas2010>{{cite journal |last1=Rojas |first1=Winston |last2=Parra |first2=María Victoria |last3=Campo |first3=Omer |last4=Caro |first4=María Antonieta |last5=Lopera |first5=Juan Guillermo |last6=Arias |first6=William |last7=Duque |first7=Constanza |last8=Naranjo |first8=Andrés |last9=García |first9=Jharley |last10=Vergara |first10=Candelaria |last11=Lopera |first11=Jaime |last12=Hernandez |first12=Erick |last13=Valencia |first13=Ana |last14=Caicedo |first14=Yuri |last15=Cuartas |first15=Mauricio |last16=Gutiérrez |first16=Javier |last17=López |first17=Sergio |last18=Ruiz-Linares |first18=Andrés |last19=Bedoya |first19=Gabriel |title=Genetic make up and structure of Colombian populations by means of uniparental and biparental DNA markers |journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology |date=September 2010 |volume=143 |issue=1 |pages=13–20 |doi=10.1002/ajpa.21270 |pmid=20734436 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/45822469 |access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref>

The [[2018 Colombian Census|2018 census]] reported that the "non-ethnic population", consisting of [[White Colombian|whites]] and mestizos (those of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry), constituted 87.6% of the national population. 6.7% is of [[Afro-Colombian|African]] ancestry. [[Indigenous peoples in Colombia|Indigenous Amerindians]] constitute 4.3% of the population. [[Raizal]] people constitute 0.06% of the population. [[Palenquero]] people constitute 0.02% of the population. 0.01% of the population are [[Romani people|Roma]]. A study by Latinobarómetro in 2023 estimates that 50.3% of the population are [[Mestizo Colombians|Mestizo]], 26.4% are [[White Colombians|White]], 9.5% are [[Indigenous peoples of Colombia|Indigenous]], 9.0% are [[Afro-Colombians|Black]], 4.4% are [[Mulatto]], and 0.4% are [[Asian Colombians|Asian]], these estimates would equate to around 26 million people being Mestizo, 14 million being White, 5 million being Indigenous, 5 million being Black, 2 million being Mulatto, and 200k being Asian.<ref name="2023est">{{cite web |title=Raza/Etnia a la que pertenece |url=https://www.latinobarometro.org/latOnline.jsp |access-date=13 February 2024 |work=Latinobarómetro 2023 Colombia}}</ref>
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Ethnic groups of Colombia according to Latinobarómetro 2023<ref name="2023est"/>

|label1=[[Mestizo Colombians|Mestizo]]
|value1 = 50.3
|color1 = #2b70a7

|label2=[[White Colombians|White]]
|value2 = 26.4
|color2 = #008dbf

|label3=[[Indigenous peoples of Colombia|Amerindian]]
|value3 = 9.5
|color3 = #00a9c1

|label4=[[Afro Colombians|Black]]
|value4 = 9.0
|color4 = #00c2ac

|label5=[[Mulatto]]
|value5 = 4.4
|color5 = #18d886

|label6=[[Asian Colombians|Asian]]
|value6 = 0.4
|color6 = #9ae758
}}

The Federal Research Division estimated that the 86% of the population that did not consider themselves part of one of the ethnic groups indicated by the 2006 census was divided into 49% Mestizo or of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry, and 37% White, mainly of Spanish lineage, but there is also a large population of Middle East descent; in some sectors of society there is a considerable input of German and Italian ancestry.<ref name="The Society and Its Environment">{{cite book|last1=Bushnell |first1=David |last2=Hudson |first2=Rex A. |year=2010 |title=The Society and Its Environment; Colombia: a country study |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Colombia.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Colombia.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |pages=87, 92 |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, Washington D.C.}}</ref><ref name="grupos étnicos" />

Many of the [[Indigenous peoples in Colombia|Indigenous peoples]] experienced a reduction in population during the Spanish rule<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.colombia.com/colombiainfo/nuestrahistoria/esclavista.asp |publisher=colombia.com |title=Society and slavery|language=es|access-date=9 September 2013}}</ref> and many others were absorbed into the mestizo population, but the remainder currently represents over eighty distinct cultures. Reserves (''resguardos'') established for indigenous peoples occupy {{convert|30571640|ha|km2|sp=us}} (27% of the country's total) and are inhabited by more than 800,000 people.<ref name="Resguardos Indígenas">{{cite web|url=https://www.siac.gov.co/Estado_Ecosistemas_Bosque/Resguardos_indigenas1.aspx |title=Resguardos indígenas – Concentra el 43% de los bosques naturales |publisher=siac.gov.co |access-date=27 March 2014 |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328011617/https://www.siac.gov.co/Estado_Ecosistemas_Bosque/Resguardos_indigenas1.aspx |archive-date=28 March 2014}}</ref> Some of the largest indigenous groups are the [[Wayuu]],<ref name="wayuu">{{cite web|url=http://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/antropologia/article/view/2006/1973|title=Hostein, N. (2010). El pueblo wayuu de la Guajira colombo-venezolana: un panorama de su cultura. Cuadernos de Antropología, 20(1).|access-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> the [[Paez people|Paez]], the Pastos, the [[Emberá people|Emberá]] and the [[Zenú]].<ref name="pueblos indígenas">{{cite web |url=https://www.dnp.gov.co/programas/desarrollo-territorial/Paginas/pueblos-indigenas.aspx |title=Los pueblos indígenas de Colombia en el umbral del nuevo milenio. Población, cultura y territorio: bases para el fortalecimiento social y económico de los pueblos indígenas |publisher=dnp.gov.co |access-date=27 March 2014 |archive-date=12 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312221148/https://www.dnp.gov.co/programas/desarrollo-territorial/Paginas/pueblos-indigenas.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> The departments of [[Department of La Guajira|La Guajira]], [[Cauca Department|Cauca]], [[Nariño Department|Nariño]], [[Córdoba Department|Córdoba]] and [[Sucre Department|Sucre]] have the largest indigenous populations.<ref name="grupos étnicos" />

The [[National Indigenous Organization of Colombia|Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia]] (ONIC), founded at the first National Indigenous Congress in 1982, is an organization representing the indigenous peoples of Colombia. In 1991, Colombia signed and ratified the current international law concerning indigenous peoples, [[Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989]].<ref name="Ratifications - ilo.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=1000:11200:0::NO:11200:P11200_COUNTRY_ID:102595 |title=Ratifications for Colombia |publisher=ilo.org |access-date=26 March 2014}}</ref>

[[Sub-Saharan Africans]] were brought as [[Atlantic slave trade|slaves]], mostly to the coastal lowlands, beginning early in the 16th century and continuing into the 19th century. Large Afro-Colombian communities are found today on the Pacific Coast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dane.gov.co/censo/files/presentaciones/grupos_etnicos.pdf |title=Ethnic groups in Colombia |publisher=dane.gov.co |language=es |access-date=26 March 2014 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233546/http://www.dane.gov.co/censo/files/presentaciones/grupos_etnicos.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Numerous [[Jamaican people|Jamaicans]] migrated mainly to the islands of San Andres and Providencia. A number of other Europeans and North Americans migrated to the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including people from the former [[Soviet Union|USSR]] during and after the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref name="Extranjeros en Colombia">{{cite web |url=http://www.rodriguezuribe.co/histories/Inmigrantes%20a%20Colombia%20-%20Luis%20Alvaro%20Gallo.pdf |title=Inmigrantes a Colombia: Personajes extranjeros llegados a Colombia |author=Luis Álvaro Gallo Martínez |publisher=rodriguezuribe.co |year=2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924091807/http://www.rodriguezuribe.co/histories/Inmigrantes%20a%20Colombia%20-%20Luis%20Alvaro%20Gallo.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015  }}</ref><ref name="Migraciones Internacionales">{{cite web|url=http://rcientificas.uninorte.edu.co/index.php/investigacion/article/view/2116/2827|title=Las migraciones internacionales en Colombia. Investigación & Desarrollo, 20(1) 142–167.|author1=Wabgou, M. |author2=Vargas, D. |author3=Carabalí, J. A.|publisher=uninorte.edu.co|year=2012|access-date=28 March 2015|archive-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914172309/http://rcientificas.uninorte.edu.co/index.php/investigacion/article/view/2116/2827|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Many immigrant communities have settled on the Caribbean coast, in particular recent immigrants from the [[Ethnic groups in West Asia|Middle East]] and [[Europe]]. Barranquilla (the largest city of the Colombian Caribbean) and other Caribbean cities have the largest populations of [[Lebanese Colombian|Lebanese]], [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]], and other [[Arab Colombians|Levantines]].<ref name="arab colombians">Vargas Arana, Pilar, and Luz Marina Suaza Vargas. "Los árabes en Colombia: Del rechazo a la integración." (2007).</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nodo50.org/csca/agenda08/misc/arti48.html |title=The Arab immigration to Colombia |publisher=nodo50.org |language=es|access-date=30 January 2014}}</ref> There are also important communities of [[Romani people|Romanis]] and [[History of the Jews in Colombia|Jews]].<ref name="Colombia is ethnically diverse" /> There is a major migration trend of [[Venezuelan people|Venezuelans]], due to the political and economic situation in Venezuela.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/c80f3a_d2e0a0b4821e4238ae021904026a4459.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/c80f3a_d2e0a0b4821e4238ae021904026a4459.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |title=Características de los migrantes de Venezuela a Colombia |date=14 August 2017 |website=labourosario.com|language=es}}</ref> In August 2019, Colombia offered citizenship to more than 24,000 children of Venezuelan refugees who were born in Colombia.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/world/americas/colombia-citizenship-venezuelans.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/world/americas/colombia-citizenship-venezuelans.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |url-access=limited|title=Colombia Offers Citizenship to 24,000 Children of Venezuelan Refugees|last1=Kurmanaev|first1=Anatoly|date=5 August 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=6 August 2019|last2=González|first2=Jenny Carolina|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Colombia}}
{{See also|Freedom of religion in Colombia|Jews in Colombia}}
[[File:Santuario de Las Lajas, Ipiales, Colombia, 2015-07-21, DD 21-23 HDR.jpg|thumb|The [[Las Lajas Sanctuary]] in the southern Colombian Department of [[Nariño Department|Nariño]]]]
The [[National Administrative Department of Statistics]] (DANE) does not collect religious statistics, and accurate reports are difficult to obtain. However, based on various studies and a survey, about 90% of the population adheres to Christianity, the majority of which (70.9%–79%) are [[Roman Catholic]], while a significant minority (16.7%) adhere to [[Protestantism]] (primarily [[Evangelicalism]]). Some 4.7% of the population is [[atheist]] or agnostic, while 3.5% claim to believe in God but do not follow a specific religion. 1.8% of Colombians adhere to [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] and [[Adventism]] and less than 1% adhere to other religions, such as the [[Baháʼí Faith]], [[Islam]], Judaism, [[Buddhism]], [[Mormonism]], [[Hinduism]], [[animism|Indigenous religions]], [[Hare Krishna movement]], [[Rastafari movement]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], and spiritual studies. The remaining people either did not respond or replied that they did not know. In addition to the above statistics, 35.9% of Colombians reported that they did not practice their faith actively.<ref name="Religion">{{cite book |url=http://www.bdigital.unal.edu.co/10780/1/Del%20monopolio%20cat%C3%B3lico%20a%20la%20explosi%C3%B3n%20pentecostal.pdf |title=Del monopolio católico a la explosión pentecostal' |author1=Beltrán Cely |author2=William Mauricio (2013) |publisher=Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Centro de Estudios Sociales (CES), Maestría en Sociología |language=es |isbn=978-958-761-465-7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327173229/http://www.bdigital.unal.edu.co/10780/1/Del%20monopolio%20cat%C3%B3lico%20a%20la%20explosi%C3%B3n%20pentecostal.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2016 |year=2013 }}</ref><ref name="Religion2">{{cite web |url=http://www.bdigital.unal.edu.co/8486/1/williammauriciobeltran.2011.pdf |title=Descripción cuantitativa de la pluralización religiosa en Colombia |author1=Beltrán Cely |author2=William Mauricio |author-link=William Mauricio Beltrán Cely |publisher=Universitas humanística 73 (2012): 201–238. – bdigital.unal.edu.co |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329185722/http://www.bdigital.unal.edu.co/8486/1/williammauriciobeltran.2011.pdf |archive-date=29 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="Religion in Latin America">{{cite web |title=Religion in Latin America, Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2014/11/13/religion-in-latin-america/ |publisher=Pew Research Center |date=13 November 2014}}</ref> 1,519,562 people in Colombia, or around 3% of the population reported following an Indigenous religion.

While Colombia remains a mostly Roman Catholic country by [[baptism]] numbers, the 1991 Colombian constitution guarantees freedom of religion and all religious faiths and churches are equally free before the law.<ref>Colombian Constitution of 1991 (Title II – Concerning rights, guarantees, and duties – Chapter I – Concerning fundamental rights – Article 19)</ref>

===Health===
{{Main|Health care in Colombia}}
[[File:Complejo Médico - Hospital Internacional de Colombia HIC.jpg|thumb|Colombia leads the annual ''[[América Economía]]'' ranking of the best clinics and hospitals in Latin America.<ref name="Colombian clinics" />]]
The overall [[life expectancy]] in Colombia at birth is 79.3 years (76.7 years for males and 81.9 years for females).<ref name="Life expectancy at birth" /> Healthcare reforms have led to massive improvements in the healthcare systems of the country, with health standards in Colombia improving very much since the 1980s. The new system has widened population coverage by the social and health security system from 21% (pre-1993) to 96% in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ministra de Salud dice que la cobertura en este sector subió al 96%|url=http://www.elpais.com.co/elpais/colombia/noticias/ministra-dice-cobertura-en-salud-fue-96|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728140425/http://www.elpais.com.co/elpais/colombia/noticias/ministra-dice-cobertura-en-salud-fue-96|archive-date=28 July 2014|access-date=18 August 2013|publisher=[[El País (Colombia)]]|language=es}}</ref> In 2017, the government declared a [[cancer research]] and treatment center as a Project of National Strategic Interest.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://es.presidencia.gov.co/noticia/171012-Luis-Carlos-Sarmiento-Angulo-agradece-apoyo-del-Gobierno-a-moderno-centro-de-tratamiento-del-cancer |title=Centro de Tratamiento e Investigación sobre Cáncer (CTIC) |date=12 October 2017 |language=es|website=presidencia.gov.co}}</ref>

A 2016 study conducted by ''[[América Economía]]'' magazine ranked 21 Colombian [[Health facility|health care institutions]] among the top 44 in Latin America, amounting to 48 percent of the total.<ref name="Colombian clinics">{{cite web|url=http://rankings.americaeconomia.com/2016/clinicas/ranking|publisher=America Economia magazine|title=21 Colombian clinics among the best 44 in Latin America|access-date=9 June 2017|archive-date=23 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623141648/http://rankings.americaeconomia.com/2016/clinicas/ranking|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2022, 26 Colombian hospitals were among the 61 best in [[Latin America]] (42% total).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cinco hospitales colombianos en el top 10 de los mejores de Latinoamérica |url=https://www.agenciapi.co/noticia/salud/cinco-hospitales-colombianos-en-el-top-10-de-los-mejores-de-latinoamerica |access-date=30 March 2023 |website=Agenciapi.co |language=es}}</ref> Also in 2023, two Colombian hospitals were among the top 75 of the world.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2023 |title=Global Top 250 Hospitals 2023 |url=https://brandirectory.com/download-report/brand-finance-amc-hospitals-100-2023-full-report.pdf |journal=Brand Finance |pages=14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mosquera |first=Eddy |date=17 February 2023 |title=Tres hospitales colombianos están entre los 100 mejores centros médicos del mundo |url=https://caracol.com.co/2023/02/17/tres-hospitales-colombianos-estan-entre-los-100-mejores-centros-medicos-del-mundo/ |access-date=30 March 2023 |website=Caracol Radio |language=es}}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Colombia}}
The educational experience of many Colombian children begins with attendance at a [[preschool]] academy until age five (''Educación preescolar''). Basic education (''Educación básica'') is compulsory by law.<ref>Colombian Constitution of 1991 (Title II – Concerning rights, guarantees, and duties – Chapter 2 – Concerning social, economic and cultural rights – Article 67)</ref> It has two stages: Primary basic education (''Educación básica primaria'') which goes from first to fifth grade – children from six to ten years old, and Secondary basic education (''Educación básica secundaria''), which goes from sixth to ninth grade. Basic education is followed by Middle vocational education (''Educación media vocacional'') that comprises the tenth and eleventh grades. It may have different vocational training modalities or specialties (academic, technical, business, and so on.) according to the curriculum adopted by each school.<ref name="sistema educativo" />
[[File:Facultad_de_Minas_-_M5.jpg|thumb|left|M5 building – [[National University of Colombia]], designed by [[Pedro Nel Gómez]]]]

After the successful completion of all the basic and middle education years, a [[high-school diploma]] is awarded. The high-school graduate is known as a ''bachiller'', because secondary basic school and middle education are traditionally considered together as a unit called ''bachillerato'' (sixth to eleventh grade). Students in their final year of middle education take the [[ICFES Examination|ICFES test]] (now renamed Saber 11) to gain access to higher education (''Educación superior''). This higher education includes undergraduate professional studies, technical, technological and intermediate professional education, and post-graduate studies. Technical professional institutions of Higher Education are also opened to students holder of a qualification in Arts and Business. This qualification is usually awarded by the [[National Service of Learning (Colombia)|SENA]] after a two years curriculum.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unevoc.unesco.org/go.php?q=World+TVET+Database&ct=COL|title=UNESCO-UNEVOC World TVET Database|website=unevoc.unesco.org}}</ref>

''Bachilleres'' (high-school graduates) may enter into a professional undergraduate career program offered by a university; these programs last up to five years (or less for technical, technological and intermediate professional education, and post-graduate studies), even as much to six to seven years for some careers, such as medicine. In Colombia, there is not an institution such as college; students go directly into a career program at a university or any other educational institution to obtain a professional, technical or technological title. Once graduated from the university, people are granted a (professional, technical or technological) diploma and licensed (if required) to practice the career they have chosen. For some professional career programs, students are required to take the Saber-Pro test, in their final year of undergraduate academic education.<ref name="sistema educativo">{{cite web|url=http://menweb.mineducacion.gov.co/nnormas/normas_basicas_4.swf |title=Ministerio de Educación de Colombia, Estructura del sistema educativo |date=29 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629194012/http://menweb.mineducacion.gov.co/nnormas/normas_basicas_4.swf |archive-date=29 June 2007 }}</ref>

Public spending on education as a proportion of gross domestic product in 2015 was 4.49%. This represented 15.05% of total government expenditure. The [[Gross enrolment ratio|primary and secondary gross enrolment ratios]] stood at 113.56% and 98.09% respectively. [[School-life expectancy]] was 14.42 years. A total of 94.58% of the population aged 15 and older were recorded as literate, including 98.66% of those aged 15–24.<ref name="UNESCO">{{cite web|url=https://uis.unesco.org/en/country/co|title=UNESCO Institute for Statistics Colombia Profile|access-date=5 May 2017|archive-date=6 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506052541/http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/co|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Crime===
[[File:COPES.png|thumb|[[Colombian National Police Special Operations Command|Colombian National Police Special Operations Command (COPES)]], displayed in [[Pereira, Colombia|Pereira]]. A subdivision of the [[National Police of Colombia|National Police]] for the fight against organized crime and terrorist acts.]]
{{Excerpt|Crime in Colombia}}

=== Urbanization ===
Colombia is a highly urbanized country with 77.1% of the population living in urban areas. The largest cities in the country are [[Bogotá]], with 7,387,400 inhabitants, [[Medellín]], with 2,382,399 inhabitants, [[Cali]], with 2,172,527 inhabitants, and [[Barranquilla]], with 1,205,284 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web|title=Largest cities|url=https://www.dane.gov.co/files/varios/informacion-capital-DANE-2019.pdf|publisher=Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE)|access-date=10 February 2020}}</ref>
{{Largest cities in Colombia}}