Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia
Colombia: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 17.92 million people in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Colombia recorded 17.92 million people for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia peaked at 17.92 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1950.
Colombia ranks 19th of 182 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0 people | — |
| 1955 | 1.17 million people | — |
| 1960 | 1.57 million people | +34.5% |
| 1965 | 3.39 million people | +115.7% |
| 1970 | 4.37 million people | +28.9% |
| 1975 | 6.46 million people | +47.8% |
| 1980 | 7.23 million people | +11.9% |
| 1985 | 9.17 million people | +26.9% |
| 1990 | 10.15 million people | +10.6% |
| 1995 | 11.25 million people | +10.9% |
| 2000 | 12.58 million people | +11.8% |
| 2005 | 13.91 million people | +10.6% |
| 2010 | 15.20 million people | +9.3% |
| 2015 | 16.53 million people | +8.8% |
| 2020 | 17.92 million people | +8.4% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 17.92 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.95 million people, 9.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 17.92 million people is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.85 million people, 9.7× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | +115.7% | 1.57 million people | 3.39 million people |
| 1975 | +47.8% | 4.37 million people | 6.46 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 584,670 people | 0 people | 1.17 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 2.48 million people | 1.57 million people | 3.39 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 5.42 million people | 4.37 million people | 6.46 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 8.20 million people | 7.23 million people | 9.17 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 10.70 million people | 10.15 million people | 11.25 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.24 million people | 12.58 million people | 13.91 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 15.87 million people | 15.20 million people | 16.53 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 17.92 million people | 17.92 million people | 17.92 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
- 16 Iran 22.00 million people compare
- 17 Vietnam 21.58 million people compare
- 18 Democratic Republic of Congo 19.22 million people compare
- 20 South Africa 17.85 million people compare
- 21 Argentina 17.55 million people compare
- 22 United Kingdom 17.28 million people 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 number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia?
- Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Colombia was 17.92 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.92 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1950.
- How does Colombia rank for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Colombia ranks 19th out of 182 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Number of people 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
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.