Colombia: Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Colombia's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) rose 24.9% on 2022 (from 281,000 to 351,000).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2022), the average change was +2,431.2% and a typical year strayed about 8,764% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 32,867% in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 95% in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 30,332 a year. A straight line explains 58% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Colombia had the 15th highest value of the 90 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Colombia in the 2023 ranking

• Ethiopia — 12th of 90: 618,000
• India — 13th of 90: 528,000
• Afghanistan — 14th of 90: 418,000
• Yemen, Rep. — 16th of 90: 240,000
• Indonesia — 17th of 90: 238,000
• Malaysia — 18th of 90: 206,000

What this measures

Internally displaced persons are defined according to the 1998 Guiding Principles (http://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/1998/ocha-guiding-principles-on-internal-displacement) as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of armed conflict, or to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an international border. "New Displacement" refers to the number of new cases or incidents of displacement recorded over the specified year, rather than the number of people displaced. This is done because people may have been displaced more than once.

Limitations: Please note that most of the figures are estimates. The definition highlights two issues: 1) The coercive or otherwise involuntary character of movement. The definition mentions some of the most common causes of involuntary movements, such as armed conflict, violence, human rights violations and disasters. These causes have in common that they give no choice to people but to leave their homes and deprive them of the most essential protection mechanisms, such as community networks, access to services, livelihoods. Displacement severely affects the physical, socio-economic and legal safety of people and should be systematically regarded as an indicator of potential vulnerability.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 16 values

Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 9,800 (2023)
• Bolivia — 3,800 (2023)
• Brazil — 745,000 (2023)
• Chile — 44,000 (2023)
• Costa Rica — 290 (2023)
• Cuba — 42,000 (2023)
• Dominican Republic — 41,000 (2023)
• Ecuador

More public sector data for Colombia

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 22 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 14.5 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 58.75 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.2% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 9.29% (2025)
• Battle-related deaths (number of people) — 225 (2024)
• Intentional homicides, female (per 100,000 female) — 3.44 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male) — 46.95 (2023)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 24.91 (2023)
• Armed forces personnel, total

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Colombia's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases)?

351,000 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2008?

It is up 457.14% from 63,000 in 2008 (12.13% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3 million in 2010 and the lowest 4,600 in 2015.

How does Colombia rank?

15th highest of 90 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) unusual for Colombia?

In 2023, Colombia's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) rose 24.9% on 2022 (from 281,000 to 351,000). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2022), the average change was +2,431.2% and a typical year strayed about 8,764% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.IDP.NWDS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), uri: http://www.internal-displacement.org/ Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.