Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Mexico is 72% bigger than Colombia.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Mexico’s coastline is 2.9 times as long as Colombia’s.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 94 m above Mexico’s.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mexico has 2.5 times as many people as Colombia.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Mexico: 132 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Mexico is 41% more densely populated than Colombia.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Mexico: 68 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Colombia are 1.6 cm taller than in Mexico.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Colombia and Mexico are practically level.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Colombia is 2.7 years older than in Mexico.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Mexico: 28.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mexico have 0.3 more children on average than in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · Mexico: 1.89 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
10% of people in Colombia are 65 or older, versus 8.5% in Mexico.
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Mexico: 8.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Colombia has produced 0.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Mexico 0.2.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · Mexico: 0.2 (2025)
How many official languages?
Colombia and Mexico are practically level.
Colombia: 1 (2026) · Mexico: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Mexico’s economy is 4 times the size of Colombia’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Mexico produces 14% more per person than Colombia.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in Mexico (Gini 11.8 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Mexico: 42.6 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 2.7% in Mexico.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Mexico: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Mexico 0.9%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · Mexico: 0.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Mexico’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Colombia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Mexico: 54% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Mexico spends 18% more on health per person than Colombia.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Mexico: $761 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Colombia live 2.6 years longer than in Mexico.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Mexico: 75.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mexico is 15% more likely to die before turning one than in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Mexico has 2% more doctors per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 25% in Colombia.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Mexico: 37.4% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in Mexico smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Mexico: 15.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 0.93 points higher than in Colombia.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Mexico: 6.97 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Mexico drink 37% more alcohol than in Colombia.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Mexico has 25% more meat per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Mexico has 178 kcal more food per person per day than Colombia.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 842 more hours a year than in Mexico.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Mexico went to school 0.32 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Mexico: 9.3 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mexico welcomed 3.9 times as many tourists per resident as Colombia (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Mexico: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
83% of people in Mexico are online, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Mexico: 83% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Mexico have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Mexico: 99.8% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in Mexico live in cities, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Mexico: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mexico 116.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Mexico: 116 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mexico’s railway network is 11 times as long as Colombia’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Mexico: 23,389 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Colombia fly 33% more passengers per resident than those from Mexico.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Mexico: 0.6 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 53% of Colombia, but only 34% of Mexico.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · Mexico: 33.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Mexico emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Mexico: 3.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in Mexico.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Mexico: 23.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Mexico carries 21% more fine dust than in Colombia.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Colombia and Mexico are nearly identical here.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 35% deadlier than in Mexico.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · Mexico: 12 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 3.0 °C warmer than Mexico.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 4 times as much rain as Mexico.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than Mexico?
Mexico is larger. Mexico is 72% bigger than Colombia.
Which has more people, Colombia or Mexico?
Mexico has 2.5 times as many people as Colombia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or Mexico?
People in Colombia live 2.6 years longer than in Mexico. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 75.3 in Mexico.
Are people taller in Colombia or Mexico?
Men in Colombia are 1.6 cm taller than in Mexico (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
