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Colombia vs. Venezuela

Demographics

ColombiaVenezuela
Population50,355,650 (July 2021 est.)29,069,153 (July 2021 est.)
Age structure0-14 years: 23.27% (male 5,853,351/female 5,567,196)

15-24 years: 16.38% (male 4,098,421/female 3,939,870)

25-54 years: 42.04% (male 10,270,516/female 10,365,423)

55-64 years: 9.93% (male 2,307,705/female 2,566,173)

65 years and over: 8.39% (male 1,725,461/female 2,390,725) (2020 est.)
0-14 years: 25.66% (male 3,759,280/female 3,591,897)

15-24 years: 16.14% (male 2,348,073/female 2,275,912)

25-54 years: 41.26% (male 5,869,736/female 5,949,082)

55-64 years: 8.76% (male 1,203,430/female 1,305,285)

65 years and over: 8.18% (male 1,069,262/female 1,272,646) (2020 est.)
Median agetotal: 31.2 years

male: 30.2 years

female: 32.2 years (2020 est.)
total: 30 years

male: 29.4 years

female: 30.7 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate1.04% (2021 est.)2.46% (2021 est.)
Birth rate16.51 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)17.55 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate5.53 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)7.13 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate-0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)14.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Sex ratioat birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 12.88 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 15.73 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 9.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
total: 22.23 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 24.79 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 76.91 years

male: 73.77 years

female: 80.23 years (2021 est.)
total population: 72.22 years

male: 68.9 years

female: 75.7 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate2.14 children born/woman (2021 est.)2.24 children born/woman (2021 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.4% (2020 est.)0.5% (2020 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Colombian(s)

adjective: Colombian
noun: Venezuelan(s)

adjective: Venezuelan
Ethnic groupsMestizo and White 87.6%, Afro-Colombian (includes Mulatto, Raizal, and Palenquero) 6.8%, Amerindian 4.3%, unspecified 1.4% (2018 est.)unspecified Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, Indigenous
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS180,000 (2020 est.)100,000 (2020 est.)
ReligionsRoman Catholic 79%, Protestant 14% (includes Pentecostal 6%, mainline Protestant 2%, other 6%), other 2%, unspecified 5% (2014 est.)nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%
HIV/AIDS - deaths3,000 (2020 est.)NA
LanguagesSpanish (official)

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Literacydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 95.1%

male: 94.9%

female: 95.3% (2018)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.1%

male: 97%

female: 97.2% (2016)
Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever

note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout Colombia; as of 19 July 2021, Columbia has reported a total of 4,639,466   cases of COVID-19 or 9117.93 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with 228.58 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 18 July 2021, 29.64% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine
degree of risk: high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

Note: as of 1 March 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Venezuela; the country is experiencing outbreaks of infectious diseases, and adequate health care is currently not available in most of the country
Education expenditures4.5% of GDP (2018)NA
Urbanizationurban population: 81.7% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 88.3% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Drinking water sourceimproved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 86.4% of population

total: 97.3% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 13.6% of population

total: 2.7% of population (2017 est.)
improved: total: 95.7% of population

unimproved: total: 4.3% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility accessimproved: urban: 98.3% of population

rural: 80.1% of population

total: 94.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.7% of population

rural: 19.9% of population

total: 5.3% of population (2017 est.)
improved: total: 93.9% of population

unimproved: total: 6.4% of population (2017 est.)
Major cities - population11.167 million BOGOTA (capital), 4.034 million Medellin, 2.810 million Cali, 2.299 million Barranquilla, 1.349 million Bucaramanga, 1.071 million Cartagena (2021)2.946 million CARACAS (capital), 2.296 million Maracaibo, 1.935 million Valencia, 1.227 million Barquisimeto, 1.216 million Maracay (2021)
Maternal mortality rate83 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)125 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight3.7% (2015/16)2.9% (2009)
Health expenditures7.6% (2018)3.6% (2018)
Hospital bed density1.7 beds/1,000 population (2017)0.9 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate22.3% (2016)25.6% (2016)
Demographic profile

Colombia is in the midst of a demographic transition resulting from steady declines in its fertility, mortality, and population growth rates. The birth rate has fallen from more than 6 children per woman in the 1960s to just above replacement level today as a result of increased literacy, family planning services, and urbanization. However, income inequality is among the worst in the world, and more than a third of the population lives below the poverty line.

Colombia experiences significant legal and illegal economic emigration and refugee outflows. Large-scale labor emigration dates to the 1960s; the United States and, until recently, Venezuela have been the main host countries. Emigration to Spain picked up in the 1990s because of its economic growth, but this flow has since diminished because of Spain's ailing economy and high unemployment. Colombia has been the largest source of Latin American refugees in Latin America, nearly 400,000 of whom live primarily in Venezuela and Ecuador. Venezuela's political and economic crisis since 2015, however, has created a reverse flow, consisting largely of Colombians returning home.

Forced displacement continues to be prevalent because of violence among guerrillas, paramilitary groups, and Colombian security forces. Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations are disproportionately affected. Even with the Colombian Government's December 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the risk of displacement remains as other rebel groups fill the void left by the FARC. Between 1985 and September 2017, nearly 7.6 million persons have been internally displaced, the highest total in the world. These estimates may undercount actual numbers because many internally displaced persons are not registered. Historically, Colombia also has one of the world's highest levels of forced disappearances. About 30,000 cases have been recorded over the last four decades-although the number is likely to be much higher-including human rights activists, trade unionists, Afro-Colombians, indigenous people, and farmers in rural conflict zones.

Because of political violence and economic problems, Colombia received limited numbers of immigrants during the 19th and 20th centuries, mostly from the Middle East, Europe, and Japan. More recently, growth in the oil, mining, and manufacturing sectors has attracted increased labor migration; the primary source countries are Venezuela, the US, Mexico, and Argentina. Colombia has also become a transit area for illegal migrants from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean -- especially Haiti and Cuba -- who are en route to the US or Canada.

Social investment in Venezuela during the CHAVEZ administration reduced poverty from nearly 50% in 1999 to about 27% in 2011, increased school enrollment, substantially decreased infant and child mortality, and improved access to potable water and sanitation through social investment. "Missions" dedicated to education, nutrition, healthcare, and sanitation were funded through petroleum revenues. The sustainability of this progress remains questionable, however, as the continuation of these social programs depends on the prosperity of Venezuela's oil industry. In the long-term, education and health care spending may increase economic growth and reduce income inequality, but rising costs and the staffing of new health care jobs with foreigners are slowing development.

While CHAVEZ was in power, more than one million predominantly middle- and upper-class Venezuelans are estimated to have emigrated. The brain drain is attributed to a repressive political system, lack of economic opportunities, steep inflation, a high crime rate, and corruption. Thousands of oil engineers emigrated to Canada, Colombia, and the United States following CHAVEZ's firing of over 20,000 employees of the state-owned petroleum company during a 2002-03 oil strike. Additionally, thousands of Venezuelans of European descent have taken up residence in their ancestral homelands. Nevertheless, Venezuela has attracted hundreds of thousands of immigrants from South America and southern Europe because of its lenient migration policy and the availability of education and health care. Venezuela also has been a fairly accommodating host to Colombian refugees, numbering about 170,000 as of year-end 2016. However, since 2014, falling oil prices have driven a major economic crisis that has pushed Venezuelans from all walks of life to migrate or to seek asylum abroad to escape severe shortages of food, water, and medicine; soaring inflation; unemployment; and violence. As of March 2020, an estimated 5 million Venezuelans were refugees or migrants worldwide, with almost 80% taking refuge in Latin America and the Caribbean (notably Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, and Brazil, as well as the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curacao). Asylum applications increased significantly in the US and Brazil in 2016 and 2017. Several receiving countries are making efforts to increase immigration restrictions and to deport illegal Venezuelan migrants - Ecuador and Peru in August 2018 began requiring valid passports for entry, which are difficult to obtain for Venezuelans. Nevertheless, Venezuelans continue to migrate to avoid economic collapse at home.

Contraceptive prevalence rate81% (2015/16)75% (2010)
Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio: 45.4

youth dependency ratio: 32.3

elderly dependency ratio: 13.2

potential support ratio: 7.6 (2020 est.)
total dependency ratio: 54.4

youth dependency ratio: 42.1

elderly dependency ratio: 12.3

potential support ratio: 8.1 (2020 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook