Colombia is the third-most populous country in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. Movement from rural to urban areas has been heavy. The urban population increased from 57% of the total population in 1951 to about 74% by 1994. Thirty cities have a population of 100,000 or more. The nine eastern lowlands departments, constituting about 54% of Colombia's area, have less than 3% of the population and a density of less than one person per square kilometer (two persons per sq. mi.).

Ethnic diversity in Colombia is a result of the intermingling of indigenous Indians, Spanish colonists, and Africans. Today, only about 1% of the people can be identified as fully Indian on the basis of language and customs.

Population: 39,685,655 (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 32% (male 6,463,195; female 6,310,723)
15-64 years: 63% (male 12,206,095; female 12,854,682)
65 years and over: 5% (male 832,986; female 1,017,974) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.68% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 22.85 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.28 years
male: 66.43 years
female: 74.27 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.69 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Colombian(s)
adjective: Colombian

Ethnic groups: Mestizo 58%, White 20%, Mulatto 14%, Black 4%, mixed Black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 90%

Languages: Spanish

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.3%
male: 91.2%
female: 91.4% (1995 est.)