Estimates of racila composition of the population vary widely. The people of mixed European and American Indian race (mestizo) form the largest group (45-68%), European descendents (20-25%), mixed European-African or American Indian-African (mulatos) (14-20%) and aboriginal indians (5-8%). The proportions of these racial groups differ widely from one part of the country to other.
Spanish is the general language, but native languages still predominate among groups of aboriginal Indians in some areas. Almost the entire population (95%) is Roman Catholic, and nearly 1 % is protestant.
Most of Colombia is sparsely populated. The average density for the country is 27 ihabitants per sqare kilometer.The portion of urban population is more than 70 per cent, having increased rapidly over the last 40 years. About 17 per cent of the population is illiterate.