Vichada: population, the economy and jobs
Vichada is a department of Colombia, number 28 of 33 by population. DANE projects the population of Vichada at 154,190 in 2026 (82,075 men and 72,115 women), 0.3% of Colombia's 53.40 million; 6th smallest of the 32 departments and Bogota. The projections are based on the 2018 census and were updated in July 2025.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Vichada: Vichada's gross domestic product was 1.3 trillion pesos at current prices in 2025 (DANE preliminary figures), 0.07% of Colombia's 1,852.7 trillion pesos; 3rd smallest of the 32 departments and Bogota.
- Health in Vichada: 25 deaths of children under one year old whose families lived in Vichada were registered in 2025, equal to 18.6 for every 1,000 live births registered to mothers living there (1,347) (4th highest of 33; Colombia 10.3). This ratio of the two registers is not DANE's adjusted infant mortality rate.
- Education in Vichada: The net enrolment rate from the transition year to upper secondary in Vichada was 68.2% in 2024, according to the Ministry of Education (2nd lowest of 33), against 55.5% in 2019 and 73.0% in 2011.
- Poverty and living standards in Vichada: 55.2% of the people of Vichada were in multidimensional poverty in 2025, according to DANE (the highest of 33 departments and Bogota; Colombia 9.9%). That is down 15.0 percentage points from 2024 and down 8.3 percentage points from 2018, when it was 63.5%.
- Government budget and revenue in Vichada: The department of Vichada scored 49.3 out of 100 in the National Planning Department's 2023 fiscal performance index, the "risk" range (7th lowest of 32 departments; departmental average 56.6).
Is the population of Vichada growing?
The projected population of Vichada grew by 46,488 people, or 43.2%, between the 2018 census year and 2026 (Colombia: 10.7%); the fastest growth of the 32 departments and Bogota.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow urban is Vichada?
20.4% of people in Vichada are projected to live in municipal seats (cabeceras) in 2026 and 79.6% in smaller settlements and rural areas (Colombia: 75.9% in municipal seats); the least urban of the 32 departments and Bogota.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow old is the population of Vichada?
Children under 15 make up 34.5% of the projected 2026 population of Vichada and people aged 65 and over 4.0% (Colombia: 21.7% and 10.7%). The share aged 65+ is the lowest of the 32 departments and Bogota.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyIs the population of Vichada ageing?
The share of people aged 65 and over in Vichada rises from 3.4% in 2018 to 4.0% in 2026 and 7.7% by 2050 in DANE's projections.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyWhat will the population of Vichada be in 2050?
DANE projects 198,364 people in Vichada in 2035 and 243,055 in 2050, up 57.6% on 2026 (Colombia: up 4.2%, to 55.65 million).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow departments are governed in Colombia
Departments (32). Governor and departmental assembly directly elected for four years. Co-ordinate municipalities, regional roads, health and education networks.
Every tier of government in Colombia
Other departments of Colombia
- Bogota 7,945,996
- Antioquia 6,963,990
- Valle del Cauca 4,714,987
- Cundinamarca 3,601,277
- Atlantico 2,885,904
- Santander 2,410,700
- Bolivar 2,251,190
- Cordoba 2,014,312
- Narino 1,721,735
- Norte de Santander 1,717,792
- Cauca 1,613,329
- Magdalena 1,558,748
- Cesar 1,493,824
- Tolima 1,390,982
- Boyaca 1,295,848
- Huila 1,221,847
- Meta 1,166,652
- La Guajira 1,082,618
- Caldas 1,056,839
- Sucre 1,047,052
- Risaralda 1,006,785
- Choco 599,468
- Quindio 557,850
- Casanare 477,966
- Caqueta 431,867
- Putumayo 395,590
- Arauca 280,022
- Amazonas 85,896
- Guaviare 84,833
- San Andres and Providencia 63,527
- Guainia 61,065
- Vaupes 44,490
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Sources
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE): PIB por departamento, base 2015, serie 2005-2025 preliminar: Cuadro 1 (current prices), Cuadro 2 (chained volumes and growth), Cuadro 3 (GDP per person), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4c77d0bcc287…)
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE): PIB por departamento: valor agregado por actividades economicas, serie 2005-2025 preliminar, Cuadro 1 (current prices), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9b625ba709ae…)
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE): Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH), anexo agosto 2026: sheet Ano_movil_32_ciudades (rolling-year labour-market rates for 32 capital cities, 2021-2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 ade9b213c799…)
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE): Proyecciones de poblacion departamental por area, sexo y edad simple, 2018-2050 (based on the 2018 census, updated July 2025), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 ba42efa193e9…)
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE): Estadisticas Vitales, defunciones no fetales 2025, cifras definitivas (published 24 September 2026): cuadros 7 (maternal deaths by department of residence), 9 (deaths by department of residence), 10 (deaths by probable manner of death and department of occurrence), 14 (deaths under one year by department of residence) and 16 (ten leading causes of death by department of residence), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 61a1f3e189ed…)
- Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluacion de la Educacion (ICFES): Resultados unicos Saber 11: average scores and number of candidates by department of the school, rounds 2019-4 and 2022-4 (datos.gov.co API response, aggregated by the API from ICFES microdata), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f4b8bdc7c323…)
- Departamento Nacional de Planeacion (DNP): Indice de Desempeno Fiscal (IDF), nueva metodologia, vigencia 2023: results for departments and municipalities (including Bogota D.C.), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8ed6c18c648b…)
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE): Pobreza multidimensional, anexo departamental 2025 (Encuesta Nacional de Calidad de Vida): incidence by department and area, household deprivations by indicator, intensity and incidence by sex, 2018-2025 (updated 14 April 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 73caab08046d…)
- Ministerio de Educacion Nacional (MEN): MEN_ESTADISTICAS_EN_EDUCACION_EN_PREESCOLAR, BASICA Y MEDIA_POR_DEPARTAMENTO, 2011-2024: net and gross enrolment coverage, dropout, failure and repetition rates by department (datos.gov.co API response), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bac11bda6cae…)
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE): Estadisticas Vitales, nacimientos 2025, cifras definitivas (published 24 September 2026): cuadros 6 (birth weight by department of residence of the mother), 7A (births by age of the mother and department of residence) and 10 (type of delivery by department of residence), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7b5f2cf18c2d…)
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