Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia

Colombia: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 35.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
35.4%
World rank
22nd
of 180 countries
All-time high
35.4%
in 2020
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia, 1950–2020

0102030401950198520201950: 0 %1955: 8.7 %1960: 10.1 %1965: 18.7 %1970: 21 %1975: 27.7 %1980: 27.7 %1985: 31.3 %1990: 31.3 %1995: 31.4 %2000: 32.2 %2005: 33 %2010: 33.9 %2015: 35.2 %2020: 35.4 %

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

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia stood at 35.4%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia peaked at 35.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

That places Colombia 22nd out of 180 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 4.3% 0.0% 8.7% 2
1960s 14.4% 10.1% 18.7% 2
1970s 24.3% 21.0% 27.7% 2
1980s 29.5% 27.7% 31.3% 2
1990s 31.3% 31.3% 31.4% 2
2000s 32.6% 32.2% 33.0% 2
2010s 34.6% 33.9% 35.2% 2
2020s 35.4% 35.4% 35.4% 1

Countries ranked near Colombia

  1. 19 Egypt 38.8% compare
  2. 20 Armenia 36.7% compare
  3. 21 Uruguay 36.6% compare
  4. 23 Liberia 34.3% compare
  5. 24 Chile 33.9% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Colombia

All data for Colombia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia?
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia was 35.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Colombia?
The highest recorded value was 35.4% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Colombia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Colombia rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Colombia ranks 22nd out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Colombia?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. 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 minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.