Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mexico instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
live 2.6 years less
In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 50.0% more likely to be obese
In Colombia, 24.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 37.4% of people as of 2024.
see 22.2% less spent on your healthcare
Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mexico spends $1,368 as of 2023.
be 40.1% more likely to die by suicide
Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mexico, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Colombia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mexico, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 62.2% more money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $13,889 as of 2025.
Life
be 28.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mexico, 42.0 women do as of 2023.
have 16.7% more children
In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 15.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 10.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Mexico, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.8% less on education
Colombia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Mexico spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 32.4% less on healthcare
Colombia spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.9 times more coastline
Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Mexico, that number is 9,330 km.
Safety
be 25.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Colombia, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mexico, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 24.2% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Colombia, 51% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Mexico, that number is 39% as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 26.2% more home broadband
Colombia has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mexico has 21.7 as of 2024.
use 71.4% more electricity
Colombia uses 1,551 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Mexico uses 2,658 kWh as of 2024.
live with 12.4 times more strain on fresh water
Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mexico withdraws 45% as of 2022.
Environment
be 25.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mexico, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.0 times more CO2
Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mexico emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Colombia vs. Mexico
Mexico: At a glance
How big is Mexico compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.