
A Mil Mi-17 of the National Army of Colombia was reported missing after taking off from the city of Quibdó on 26 June 2016. The wreckage of the helicopter was found the following day in mountainous terrain in the department of Caldas, 180 km north-west of the capital city Bogotá. It was the third helicopter crash in Colombia in 2016, and with seventeen killed was the worst accident in eleven years for the Colombian military.

The Colombian peace agreement referendum was held on October 2, 2016 to ratify the final agreement on the termination of the Colombian conflict between the Colombian government and the FARC guerillas. It failed with 50.2% voting against it and 49.8% voting in favor. Approval of the referendum was taken for granted in Colombia based on opinion polls. Explanations for the surprising "No" victory fell along the similar ideological lines of Donald Trump's victory in the US Elections and the Brexit vote in the UK, both also held in 2016.

The 2016 Ecuador earthquake occurred on April 16 at 18:58:37 ECT with a moment magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The very large thrust earthquake was centered approximately 27 km (17 mi) from the towns of Muisne and Pedernales in a sparsely populated part of the country, and 170 km (110 mi) from the capital Quito, where it was felt strongly. Regions of Manta, Pedernales and Portoviejo accounted for over 75 percent of total casualties. Manta's central commercial shopping district, Tarqui, was completely destroyed. Widespread damage was caused across Manabí Province, with structures hundreds of kilometres from the epicenter collapsing. At least 676 people were killed and 16,600 people injured. President Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency; 13,500 military personnel and police officers were dispatched for recovery operations.

This is a list of earthquakes in Colombia. Colombia is a seismically active country and has a large seismic risk in many areas of its territory due to its location at the boundaries of the Malpelo, Panama, Caribbean, North Andes and South American Plates along the Pacific Ring of Fire. The southeastern and extreme eastern portions of Colombia are not as seismically active as the rest of the country.

Aerosucre Flight 157 was a domestic cargo flight operated by Colombian cargo airline Aerosucre using a Boeing 727-200. On 20 December 2016, the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Germán Olano Airport in Puerto Carreño, Colombia, on a flight to Bogotá. The jet overran the end of the runway, struck the perimeter fence and other obstacles before becoming airborne, but lost control and crashed about two minutes later and 4 nautical miles from the airport. Of the six people on board, only one survived.

América Latina Olé Tour 2016 was a concert tour by The Rolling Stones, which began on 3 February 2016 in Santiago and made stops in La Plata, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Lima, Bogotá, Mexico City and ended in Havana with a free show on 25 March 2016.

LaMia Flight 2933 was a charter flight of an Avro RJ85, operated by LaMia, that on 28 November 2016 crashed near Medellín, Colombia, killing 71 of the 77 people on board. The aircraft was transporting the Brazilian Chapecoense football squad and their entourage from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, to Medellín, where the team was scheduled to play at the 2016 Copa Sudamericana Finals. One of the four crew members, three of the players, and two other passengers survived with injuries.

The 2016 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos "for his resolute efforts to bring the country’s more than 50-year-long civil war to an end, a war that has cost the lives of at least 220,000 Colombians and displaced close to six million people." The conflict is the longest running war, and last remaining guerrilla struggle, in the Americas. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually to those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". The announcement was made on 7 October at a press conference at the Nobel Peace Center, and the formal award ceremony took place on 10 December at the Oslo City Hall.