What is the currency of Colombia?

The currency of Colombia is the Colombian peso.

Its ISO code is COP, and its symbol is usually written as $, although Col$ may be used to distinguish it from other peso currencies. The peso was introduced in 1837, replacing the Colombian real at a rate of one peso to eight reales. Colombia later decimalized its monetary system, dividing the peso into 100 centavos.

Colombian money is issued by the Banco de la República. Modern circulating denominations include coins of 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 pesos, along with banknotes ranging from 2,000 to 100,000 pesos. Centavos remain relevant in accounting but have little practical use because inflation greatly reduced their purchasing power; centavo coins ceased regular circulation in 1984.

A common mix-up is assuming that every country using the name “peso” shares the same currency. The Colombian peso is distinct from the Mexican, Chilean, and Argentine pesos, each with its own issuer and ISO code. Colombia’s neighboring Venezuela has also seen informal use of Colombian pesos in some border areas.