Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Peru is 13% bigger than Colombia.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · Peru: 1,285,220 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Colombia’s coastline is 33% longer than Peru’s.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Peru: 2,414 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Peru’s highest peak towers 1,016 m above Colombia’s.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Peru: 6,746 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Colombia has 55% more people than Peru.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Peru: 34.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Colombia is 78% more densely populated than Peru.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Peru: 27 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Colombia are 5.1 cm taller than in Peru.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Peru: 166.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Colombia are 3.6 cm taller than in Peru.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Peru: 154.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Colombia is 2.2 years older than in Peru.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Peru: 29.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Peru have 0.3 more children on average than in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · Peru: 1.97 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
10% of people in Colombia are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Peru.
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Peru: 9.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Colombia has produced 0.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Peru 0.3.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · Peru: 0.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
Peru has 3 official languages, Colombia 1.
Colombia: 1 (2026) · Peru: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Colombia’s economy is 37% larger than Peru’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Peru: $335 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Colombia produces 20% more per person than Peru.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Peru: Int$18,816 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in Peru (Gini 14.3 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Peru: 40.1 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 5.1% in Peru.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Peru: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Peru 0.9%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · Peru: 0.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Peru’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Colombia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Peru: 51% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Colombia spends 45% more on health per person than Peru.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Peru: $446 (2023)
How long do people live?
Peru and Colombia are practically level.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Peru: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Peru is 5% more likely to die before turning one than in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Peru: 11 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Colombia has 50% more doctors per person than Peru.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Peru: 1.7 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Peru are obese, versus 25% in Colombia.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Peru: 29.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in Peru smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Peru: 12.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Colombia rate their lives 0.07 points higher than in Peru.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Peru: 5.97 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Colombia drink 2% more alcohol than in Peru.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Peru: 4.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Colombia has 13% more meat per person than Peru.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Peru: 55.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Colombia has 316 kcal more food per person per day than Peru.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Peru: 2,811 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 328 more hours a year than in Peru.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Peru: 2,143 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Peru went to school 1.1 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Peru: 10.2 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Colombia welcomed 46% more tourists per resident than Peru (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Peru: 0.06 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in Peru are online, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Peru: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
99% of people in Colombia have electricity, versus 97% in Peru.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Peru: 96.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Peru live in cities, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Peru: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Peru 125.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Peru: 125 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Colombia’s railway network is 15% longer than Peru’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Peru: 1,854 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Colombia fly 55% more passengers per resident than those from Peru.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Peru: 0.51 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 56% of Peru, but only 53% of Colombia.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · Peru: 56.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Peru emits 17% more CO₂ than someone in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Peru: 2.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 64% in Peru.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Peru: 63.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Peru carries 83% more fine dust than in Colombia.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Peru: 27.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.9 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in Peru.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Peru: 8.6 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 28% deadlier than in Peru.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · Peru: 12.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 5.2 °C warmer than Peru.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Peru: 19.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 46% more rain than Peru.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Peru: 2,164 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than Peru?
Peru is larger. Peru is 13% bigger than Colombia.
Which has more people, Colombia or Peru?
Colombia has 55% more people than Peru (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or Peru?
Peru and Colombia are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 77.9 in Peru.
Are people taller in Colombia or Peru?
Men in Colombia are 5.1 cm taller than in Peru (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
