Metropolitan Areas in Colombia are officially designated administrative and census areas, composed of an urban center and its associated Municipalities.
The following criteria must be met for a group of communities to be designated a Metropolitan Area:
Commuting to work is, in fact, the major characteristic of a Metropolitan Area. As a result, the secondary cities are often called "dormitory cities"; meaning places where the inhabitants only go home to sleep.
An important function of the Metropolitan Areas is to provide for joint planning between the Municipalities, thereby managing ordered and proportional economic growth according to the necessities of the area and the physical characteristics of each Municipality.
The following are currently (2007) recognized by the Colombian government:
| Metropolitan Area | Status | Conurbation municipalities | Population (2018 estimate) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Officially the Metropolitan Region Bogota - Cundinamarca | 9,498,470 | |||
| Officially the Metropolitan Area of Aburrá Valley | Medellín, Bello, Barbosa, Copacabana, La Estrella, Girardota, Itagüí, Envigado, Caldas,Rionegro and Sabaneta | 4,035,922 | ||
| Greater Cali | Not yet defined officially | 3,079,074 | ||
| Created by Decree 28 of 1981 | 2,098,966 | |||
| Greater Cartagena de Indias | Not yet defined officially | Cartagena de Indias, Turbaco, Turbana, Clemencia, Santa Catalina, Santa Rosa and Villanueva | 1,197,656 | |
| Greater Bucaramanga | Created by Decree 20 of 1981 | Bucaramanga, Floridablanca, Piedecuesta y Girón | 1,150,993 | |
| Created by Decree 000508 of 1991 | 866,633 | |||
| Greater Pereira | Created by Decree 014 of 1991 | Pereira, Dosquebradas, La Virginia, Santa Rosa de Cabal | 786,476 | |
| Greater Valledupar | Created in 2005 | Valledupar, Codazzi, La Paz, Manaure and San Diego | 584,682 | |
| Greater Armenia | Not yet defined officially | Armenia, Calarcá, Circasia, La Tebaida, Montenegro and Salento | 504,722 | |
| Greater Girardot | Not yet defined officially | Girardot, Ricaurte (Cundinamarca) and Flandes (Tolima) | 146,039 | |
| Greater Ibagué | Not yet defined officially | Ibagué, Cajamarca, Alvarado, Coello and Piedras | 613,370 | |
| Greater Ipiales | Not yet defined officially | Ipiales, Pupiales, Carlosama, Aldana | 173,773 | |
| Greater Manizales | Not yet defined officially | Manizales, Neira, Chinchiná, Villamaríanota and Palestina | 559,433 | |
| Greater Montería | Not yet defined officially | Montería, Cereté, San Carlos, Ciénaga de Oro and San Pelayo | 694,937 | |
| Greater Neiva | Not yet defined officially | Neiva, Rivera, Palermo, Tello, Campoalegre, Baraya, Aipe and Villavieja | 461,479 | |
| Greater Santa Marta | Not yet defined officially | Santa Marta, Pueblo Viejo and Ciénaga | 645,007 | |
| Greater Popayán | Not yet defined officially | Popayán, El Tambo, Timbío, and Piendamó | 413,210 | |
| Greater Sincelejo | Not yet defined officially | Sincelejo, Corozal, Morroa, Los Palmitos and Sampués | 422,906 | |
| Greater Tunja | Not yet defined officially | Tunja, Sora, Soracá, Siachoque, Toca, Tuta, Sotaquirá, Cómbita, Motavita, Oicatá, Chivatá, Cucaita, Samacá and Ventaquemada | 294,918 | |
| Greater Villavicencio | Not yet defined officially | Villavicencio, Acacías, Guamal, Restrepo and Cumaral | 629,029 | |
| Greater Sogamoso | Not yet defined officially | Sogamoso, Duitama, Paipa, Nobsa, Tibasosa, Santa rosa de Viterbo, Firavitoba and Iza | 309,922 |