Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Colombia
Colombia: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 81.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Colombia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban and rural areas in Colombia is 81.5%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Colombia peaked at 81.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 56.5%, in 1950.
That places Colombia 76th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Colombia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 56.5% | — |
| 1955 | 59.8% | +5.8% |
| 1960 | 63.2% | +5.8% |
| 1965 | 66.7% | +5.5% |
| 1970 | 69.7% | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 72.0% | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 71.8% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 71.8% | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 71.7% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 74.4% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 76.6% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 77.8% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 79.1% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 80.4% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 81.5% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 58.2% | 56.5% | 59.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 65.0% | 63.2% | 66.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 70.9% | 69.7% | 72.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 71.8% | 71.8% | 71.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 73.0% | 71.7% | 74.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 77.2% | 76.6% | 77.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 79.8% | 79.1% | 80.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 81.5% | 81.5% | 81.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
- 73 Cuba 82.1% compare
- 74 Montenegro 81.8% compare
- 75 Chile 81.8% compare
- 77 Puerto Rico 80.9% compare
- 78 Brunei Darussalam 80.8% compare
- 79 Nigeria 80.6% compare
More reference data data for Colombia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4113 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 19.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 9.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 61.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 94.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.24 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Colombia?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Colombia was 81.5% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 81.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.5% in 1950.
- How does Colombia rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Colombia ranks 76th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. 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 Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.