Between 2017 and the current year, 2026, an average of 35.73% of the victims of mass forced displacement in Colombia have been members of ethnic groups.
Territorial pressures resulting from the presence and activities of armed groups and illicit economies cause these displacements, as well as confinement, restrictions on mobility, and risks to the autonomy of these peoples.
A recent example is the Ombudsman’s Office’s Early Warning 008 of 2026 for Guainia, in which the agency warned of risks to the Curripako, Yeral, Baniwa, Sikuani, and Puinave peoples, associated, among other factors, with illegal mining, drug trafficking, and the risk of child recruitment.
Mass Displacement of 394,839 People
During the period analyzed, the Ombudsman’s Office has recorded 1,002 mass displacement events that have affected a total of 394,839 people.
This situation is compounded by the risks highlighted by the Ombudsman’s Office through 120 territorial early warnings covering 396 municipalities and 15 Indigenous territories.
According to the agency, this situation demonstrates the need to make progress in formally recognizing ethnic and cultural diversity in order to ensure the real and effective guarantee of the human rights of Indigenous, Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, Palenquero, and Roma peoples.
What is happening with the displacement of ethnic groups is part of the broader phenomenon occurring in the country.
Colombian Departments Most Affected
Last September, a report by the Ombudsman’s Office on human mobility dynamics in Colombia indicated that, in the previous August, 11 mass forced displacement events had been recorded, affecting 5,976 people, along with nine confinement events that restricted the mobility of 6,201 people. These incidents were associated with the effects of the internal armed conflict.
Between January and August 2026, the agency documented a total of 111 mass forced displacement events that affected 23,931 people. During the same period, it reported 63 confinement events that restricted the mobility of 80,369 people.
Cauca, with more than 6,700 people, was the department with the highest number of people affected by forced displacement. It was followed by Norte de Santander, with more than 4,350 people; Antioquia, with more than 3,150; Narino, with more than 2,550; and Magdalena, with more than 1,900.
During the first eight months of the year, Choco, with 15,641 people, was the department most affected by confinement. It was followed by Cauca, with 13,350 people; Putumayo, with 12,646; Caqueta, with 11,651; and Bolivar, with 6,593.
Presence of Ethnic Groups in Colombia
Regarding migratory movements, the Human Mobility Bulletin shows that 69,072 migrants traveled irregularly through the country between January and August 2026.
This represents a 39.1% decrease compared with the same period in 2025, when 113,338 migrants were recorded. Most of these people come from Venezuela, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Peru.
According to the 2018 National Population and Housing Census conducted by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), the country has 1,905,617 Indigenous people belonging to 115 peoples; 4,671,160 members of Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, and Palenquero peoples, equivalent to 9.34% of the national population; and 2,649 members of the Roma people. In Colombia, 65 Indigenous languages are also spoken, along with the Creole language of San Andres, the Palenquero language of San Basilio de Palenque, and the Romani language.
Behind these figures are peoples and communities with their own systems of government, ancestral knowledge, spiritual practices, and particular relationships with their territories, which constitute a fundamental part of Colombia’s cultural and social heritage.
However, ethnic peoples and organizations have historically warned about underreporting. This situation shows that racism and structural discrimination can also be expressed through the statistical invisibility of these populations.