OBJECTIVES: To estimate the number and geographical distribution of centenarians in Colombia. METHODS: The study was a retrospective analysis, based on three different databases: the Colombian 2005 census, death certificates from 2010 to 2013, and Individual Registry of Health Services (RIPS), the official database of the Ministry of Health, for the year 2014. RESULTS: In the census, 3,165 centenarians (1,972 women, 62.3%) were identified, the highest rates of individuals over a hundred years of age (centenarian) were then in La Guajira (2.23 x 10,000), Chocó (1.90) and Sucre (1.61), all of them located in the Caribbean region, and with some of the highest poverty indicators including child mortality. In the four years analyzed, 3,611 centenarians died, with the highest proportions (per thousand deaths) in Chocó (10.4), La Guajira (9.4) and Sucre (6.5). The RIPS identified 3,390 centenarians in 2014, with the highest rates in Sucre (2.17 per 10,000), Chocó (1.29) and Córdoba (1.11). CONCLUSIONS: Although the results are consistent in terms of the number and geographical distribution of centenarians, there could have been errors in the record of the date of birth, which is the basic information used to estimate age in all the three sources analyzed. Another explanation may involve higher physical activity, traditional family and community support, low levels of stress, and healthy diet in these regions; these factors have been also associated with longevity in the denominated as "blue zones" (areas of the world with centenarian population rates 10 times higher than in the US). More studies are required to assess geographical distribution of elderly in Colombia and to evaluate factors that could be associated with certain specific geographical distribution.